President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s decision to increase salaries of science teachers and leave out their colleagues who facilitate the learning of arts subjects has prompted the total breakaway of science teachers from the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu).
After months of negotiations, government finally agreed to increase the salaries of science teachers to Shs4m monthly for each graduate. The science teachers were included among the scientists whom government gifted salary increments starting July 2022.
The negotiations for the increment of science teacehers’ salaries was done under the Uganda Professional Science Teachers’ Union (Upstu). As the Upstu negotiations started showing signs of fruition, Unatu started pushing for the increment of salaries for all teachers, including those in primary schools and the secondary school arts teachers.
Unatu argued that increasing salaries of only science teachers would be discriminatory. Unatu secretary general Filbert Baguma even argued that science teachers are not scientists. (Read Story Here).
But government went ahead and increased the salaries of science teachers, promising to raise the pay for secondary school arts and primary school teachers in subsequent financial years as resources become available.
Now, Upstu has taken steps to full independence from Unatu. For example, as Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate Teachers’ Day, Upstu held its celebrations at the Kolping Hotel along Bombo Road while Unatu leaders gathered in Kyebando for the same event.
And Upstu leaders were clear in their resolve to fully break away from Unatu and continue fighting for the rights of science teachers. This would only mean that Unatu would largely remain an association of secondary school arts and primary school teachers.
Upstu secretary general Aron Mugaiga emphasized that Unatu had the constitutional right to be on their own just like the science teachers’ union had a right to be on their own, to break away from the union and to form a new one.
To further stress Mugaiga’s argument Upstu national chairman Vincent Elong observed that Unatu was not the only teachers’ union in the country, explaining that were others such as the Uganda Liberal Science Teachers’ Union and associations of university lecturers, among others.
Unatu’s Baguma has been quoted as saying that the union would not chase away science teachers, and added that these were free to join or leave.
Formed in 2019, Upstu has had a major breakthrough in its third year, putting a smile on the faces of science teachers who are now better paid compared to their arts counterparts with the same level of training.
It should be remembered that in July 2022, Museveni’s government confirmed salary increment for science teachers and other scientists. (See Full Salary Structure for the 2022-2023 Financial Year showing How Much Each Government Employee Category Will Be Earning Every Month HERE).
But leaked pay slips for secondary school teachers showed HUGE DEDUCTIONS, revealing that each science teacher’s NET SALARY is Significantly Less Than Shs4m per month. (Read Story Here).
Weeks ago, it also emerged that thousands of science teachers and other government employees have missed their salaries for at least two months. (See Details Here).
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