Govt now denies ordering teachers back to class
A teacher attends to students in class recently
What you need to know:
- Arts teachers under their umbrella body, Unatu, commenced their industrial action on June 15 over discriminatory salary enhancement.
The government has denied issuing last week’s ultimatum to striking Arts teachers directing them to return to class or face dismissal.
The government has instead explained that this was a mere proposal and not a directive. Public Service minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa, while addressing a press conference in Kampala yesterday, said going forward, the government will be engaging relevant Arts teachers’ bodies to come up with a consensus.
“I can’t say that they are sacked, it was a proposal from Public Service not an ultimatum. Let’s wait and see the [teachers’] reaction and this will now inform the next action,” Mr Muruli said.
He said it is premature to consider the teachers sacked following the lapse of the ultimatum.
The minister appealed to Arts teachers to return to class.
“Let’s keep engaging in civilised talks and for the meantime, let us go to schools and teach, we will get these enhancements,” Mr Muruli said.
In a June 22 letter, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, Ms Catherine Bitarakwate, ordered the striking teachers back to class by Friday, June 24, or risk being sacked for absconding from duty and engaging in an “illegal” industrial action.
“Whereas teachers, like all other employees of government, have rights and freedoms to be enjoyed under the Constitution and other relevant laws, including the right to withdraw labour, the current industrial action by the members of Unatu is illegal …,” Ms Bitarakwate wrote.
Last week’s directive
She put chief administrative officers and town clerks, who oversee civil servants in district, cities and municipalities, on notice to compile the particulars of the non-compliant teachers and submit them to the Public Service ministry headquarters in Kampala by end of the month to facilitate their “removal from the payroll”.
Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu), in a rejoinder characterised the letter as “full of intimidation, not addressing the concerns of the teachers” and vowed to continue with the industrial action.
Arts teachers under their umbrella body, Unatu, commenced their industrial action on June 15 over discriminatory salary enhancement and have vowed to continue until a definitive solution is provided by the government.
This followed the government’s decision of increasing salaries of scientists, including the Science teachers.
The salary for Science teachers, who are degree holders, is expected to increase from Shs1.2 million to Shs4 million while that of diploma Science teachers is expected to increase from Shs950,000 to Shs3 million.
