The government has continued to soften its stance on striking teachers by calling for dialogue and negotiations to end the situation.
On June 15, teachers announced a nationwide strike over what they described as discrimination in the government’s payment system for teachers. They complained that Science teachers have been favored with enhanced salaries while Arts have been abandoned.
The Vice President of Uganda Rtd Maj Jessica Alupo, met with officials from Uganda National Teachers Union - UNATU for a closed-door meeting.
During the meeting, Alupo convinced the teachers to return to class while the government sorts out their pay but that hit a dead end.
The teacher’s representatives led by Secretary-General Filbert Baguma, however, expressed concern at the tone in which government officials speak and threatened to fire them.
Baguma told journalists outside the meeting that the Vice President promised that the government and its officials will no longer issue threats to teachers.
“We cannot have genuine talks when one part is threatening the other. All ministers and other officials have been adapting threatening language saying that striking teachers will be deleted from the payroll. This was one of the key things we presented in the meeting,” Baguma said
In a statement released by the Vice President’s office, it was noted that the two parties agreed to have “urgent contained interactions and engagements on the issues therein.”
Baguma has accused government officials including Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the Education Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni for accusing teachers of receiving free money during the lockdown and asking for a pay raise when schools reopened.
Baguma says such statements are insults to teachers given the fact that it was the government that closed the schools for a well-known reason of covid19 induced lockdown.
UNATU and the ministry of public service will meet on Friday, July 1, 2022. Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, the permanent secretary of the ministry of public service, invited four officials for a meeting over salaries.
