Staff at Makerere University have today Monday resumed their sit-down strike as they protest government’s failure to pay their salary arrears.
The strike by non-teaching staff comes barely a week after the administrative and teaching staff too threatened not to show up for the new semester that commences this week.
Police deployed heavily at the ivory tower today to calm angry students who were threatening to take the same measures if activities do not start soon.
This strike has also stretched to other public universities.
The assistant administration of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, who doubles as the college representative to the National Union of Education Institutions, Eggesa Obuli said government did not fulfill its promise.
"Even if we receive this money today, we are ready to resume work. “We need equal treatment [as the teaching staff], since we go to the same supermarket with the lecturers and we also have children who need to access quality education” Eggesa observes.
Eggesa says it is unfair for government not to consider the non-teaching staff yet without them lecturers cannot do their work. However, lecturers are said to be in the same dilemma.
All staff members ‘teaching,’ administrative and non-teaching staff say they will not open the university for the new semester unless all their arrears are paid.
The police spokesperson Fred Enanga recently told the press that if the situation does not change, they will advise the university to postpone opening days until all is in order to avoid running battles with idle students.
Prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda initially promised that their issues would be settled soon, in vain.
