10,000 laboratory technicians announce strike on Tuesday

Nearly 10,000 medical laboratory technicians in the country have announced a strike beginning next Tuesday because of low pay and failure to absorb their degree, masters and PhD holders in public service, among other reasons.

The technicians are central in the diagnosis of diseases for a patient to get effective treatment, and also lead in surveillance of emerging diseases, including Covid-19, in the country. 

The development coincides with the Friday announcement by government that it has resolved the grievances of 1,400 medical interns who have been on strike since November 8.

A letter dated December 17 to all lab technicians, leaders of Uganda Medical Laboratory Technology Association (UMLTA), said they have decided to go on strike because government is ignoring the issues pressing them.
“As you are aware, the intended industrial action due to delayed response to our welfare by government is simply three days from today,” the letter reads in part.

The UMLTA said the meetings held with senior officials of the Ministry of Health on December 2, and subsequently on December 6, with the Ministry of Public Service to discuss concerns of the laboratory fraternity, didn’t yield results.

A detailed letter from UMLTA that Sunday Monitor has seen indicates that the lab professionals are asking the government to address 13 grievances.

Mr Dennis Alibu, the UMLTA general secretary, told this newspaper that the issues include absorbing the more than 3,000 degree holders in public service and pay them Shs3m instead of Shs2.2m that government is currently paying non-medical science officers.  

“Currently, the government is only employing certificate and diploma holders. Those who upgrade and complete degrees have to come and work and get paid as diploma holders. Certificate holders are paid around Shs800,000 and diploma holders are paid Shs1.2m by government,” he said

There are also lab professionals with Masters and PhD qualifications, but are not being employed by the government, Mr Alibu said.

The other issues UMLTA wants addressed include refurbishing and equipping dilapidated laboratories in hospitals, compensating families of lab professionals who died in line of duty during Covid-19 response, filling vacant positions in laboratory service, introducing internship training for lab graduates, providing housing allowance and appointing lab officers to head services at district level.

But in a letter from the Ministry of Health dated December 16, regarding the grievances of the lab professionals, Dr Diana Atwine, the Permanent Pecretary, asked hospital directors and district authorities to work with the district or Health Service Commission to address the issues.

“Reference is made to the letter dated January 3, 2019 from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Service, regarding Circular Standing Instructions No.9 of the 2018 (Scheme of service for medical laboratory cadre in the Uganda public service).

Whereas Section 7 of the Circular Standing Instruction referred to above, required responsible officers to make submissions on all serving medical laboratory staff to the district service commission and Health Service Commission for designation by March 30, 2019, the UMLTA leadership has complained that the laboratory staff have never been designated. 

“Arising from the above, this is to remind all of you to submit all medical laboratory staff who have not been designated to respective service commission for immediate action,” Dr Atwine wrote.