End cycle of strikes at Makererere

Makerere University lecturers under their umbrella body, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa), on Tuesday announced a sit-down strike, again. They are withdrawing from teaching of both day and evening students. The strike is in protest of management’s failure to pay their arrears.
To date, the total of the arrears is Shs28 billion. Overall, the university has a cumulative incentive arrears amounting to Shs46. 4 billion inclusive of that of the non-teaching staff.
The lecturers like other citizens, have every right to express their grievances in whatever form they deem fit.

The question is, can the lecturers explain, especially to the students and parents, who are the worst hit by such strikes why they think the current strike is any different from the ones they have staged in the past? It would be interesting to know what hopes the lecturers have this time round.
Otherwise, for how long will the lecturers continue to run in circles with the University Council and government arrears and increments?
We all want lecturers, like all other workers offering a service, to earn what is due to them.
Trouble is, the lecturers seem to lack the backbone to advance their cause. For instance, they stage a strike today and the next day are back in the lecture rooms teaching with nothing tangible to show for the previous days’ interruption of learning.

We think it is high time the academic staff spelt out clearly what they hope to achieve and should persist until they are listened to.
On the other hand, the University Council should stop making empty promises to lecturers every time they go on strike just to convince the lecturers to resume teaching.
Strikes are detrimental to the students learning process. It is even worse for parents some of whom sell land, cows, and everything else to pay tuition fees for their children.
Something needs to be done to tame the culture of strikes at the university.

It is almost certain that at the end of the current strike, students at the university will start from where their lecturers have stopped. They often complain about bad food, missed lectures, congestion, lack of water in halls of residence, etc. The non-teaching staff will then follow.
It is imperative that the government, university council, administration as well as the students guild, find way forward that enables operations at the university to run smoothly.