Makerere University Business School (MUBS) management has up to 15 days to pay salary arrears of at least 203 academic staff or face the law.
Through their lawyers Kesiime and Company Advocates the staff demand that the university pays 57.5billion shillings arising from putting them on a wrong salary scale.
Management is expected to clear the staff arrear within 15days or face court. Lawyers have also asked the School to pay an equivalent of Shs. 5.75billion as their legal fees, withdraw the said discriminatory payroll from the ministry of public service to ensure equity and to confirm the unconfirmed staff.
According to the documents, the staff have had several meetings on the same issue with the university management through the Makerere University Business Academic Staff Association (MUBASA), but there hasn’t been any positive outcome.
They add that despite the promises, none of them have been implemented which they insist remains unfair. They now argue that MUBS management has been running two parallel salary payrolls one paid by government and another paid by the institution.
This has in the end caused disparities leading to discontent among staff. A staff at a rank of a Lecturer at MUBS earns 6.8million on government payroll while others on the same rank receive Shs. 3million which they say is unfair.
Professor Waswa Balunywa as an accounting officer as well as member of Makerere University Business School Council is accused of failure to technically guide the University Council on this issue.
According to Brian Muyomba the MUBS academic staff chairperson, some of the staff who have worked for a period of 10 years and more have experienced salary disparities, something that is not only unfair, unlawful and illegal but also discriminatory in nature, as pointed out in a 2014 Auditor-General Report.
