The Forum for academic staff of public universities in Uganda threatening to lay down their tools unless their salary is enhanced.
In a June 17 statement , which was copied to the ministries of Education, Public Service, Finance, Gender and the Parliament, among others, the academic staff through their umbrella, FASPU picked a leaf from the arts teachers and resolved to resume their industrial action over salary enhancement.
“The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the joint meeting between FASPU executive and chairpersons of the Council that was held on March 29, 2021 only suspended our industrial action. We notify you that all academic staff in public universities will resume their industrial strike if salary enhancement to the agreed targets is not addressed in the Financial Year 2022/2023,” the statement read.
“Our members have been patient as the salary enhancement injustice continues to negatively affect them in many ways. Staff promotions have been undermined affecting our career growth,” the statement, signed by the acting chairperson of FASPU, Mr. Tom Omute, and chairpersons of academic staff associations of various public universities.
On June 4, 2020, and on October 8, 2020 the executive committee of FASPU requested all academic staff in all public universities to receive and teach students in final year “as salary enhancement is being handled” due to request from Janet Museveni, Minister for Education and sports who wrote to the vice chancellors of Public universities assuring them that the government would look into their demands, so they should call off the industrial action.
Ms. Ketty Lamaro , the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, May 3rd , wrote to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide additional Shs223.2 billion for purposes of meeting 100 percent agreed pay target to academic staff in public universities.
In the Financial Year 2020/2021, only Shs129.24 billion was yet to be paid. Over time, this figure has increased because the government created two more universities. “The government cannot claim that there is no money to complete our salary enhancement. Though the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports, wrote on May 3, 2022 requesting for provision of additional Shs223.2 billion, we do not see this figure in the budget of 2022/2023,” the statement says.
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