Striking nurses and midwives have said they will not be intimidated.
The health workers’ response follows a directive from the Minister of Public Service Wilson Muruli Mukasa who ordered them to resume work on Monday 30th May, 2022 or risk losing their jobs.
Under their umbrellas body Allied Heath Professionals Alliance (AHPA), these health workers have vowed never to return to work, until government fulfills its pledge of increasing their monthly earnings.
It is important to note that on Friday, Minister Muruuli Mukasa while addressing the media Uganda Media Centre (UMC) said the strike contravenes the Public Service Negotiating, Consultative and Disputes Settlement Machinery Act 2008 that stipulates that any industrial action must follow a 90 day note after exhaustion of all the other avenues.
“In this regard, government is calling upon all allied professional health workers, nurses and midwives to report to duty by Monday, 30, May, 2022. By failing to do so, they will be considered as having abandoning duty and resigned accordingly, “Minister Mukasa threateningly said.
As if that was not enough, he directed the Chied Admistrative Officers and hospital directors to keep track of all health professionals who will not have returned to work by Monday and declare their positions vacant in line with laid down criteria.
In response, the striking health workers have made it clear that they will not return to their work posts, even beyond 31st , and decried government’s resort to intimidation, instead of meeting its responsibilities.
Sevume Kauma, a member of AHPA said government should not threaten and intimidate the aggrieved parties in order to fulfill its motives, but advised authorities to deeply look into the matter carefully and settle their grievances in a transparent way.
“Minister Muruli Mukasa, we are requesting him to first have a clear understanding of the issues that forced us to take to industrial action, he should talk to us, instead of just issuing a threatening directive,” Kauma said.
“We are not ready and willing to return to work, not until we meet him and talk issues out,” added Kauma as he underlined that such a move is intended to acquaint the minister with a deep understanding of the problems they go through as they do their work.
“Regarding salary increments, we are not the ones who started this. The rise was promised to us by government. So we humbly ask him to cool down, and use a liberal voice, such that we communicate, harmonize and get back to work, but we are not ready to return to work on Monday, if at all he doesn’t meet us,” Kauma asserted.
In a related development, sharp disagreements have broken out amongst a section of midvives and nurses today morning in their umbrella body Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU), with some considering dropping the strike, while others are threatening to carry on, no matter the repercussions.
This inspired leaders at UNMU to call an emergency meeting so as to decide on the next course of action.
The Secretary for this association Judith Kyarisiima said the meeting is intended to reflect on how they conduct their activities, and also drawing means on how to let government understand at length, their grievances that led them take to industrial action.
“Let’s see, they have given us three days, up to Monday, let’s think about it. You know as a leader, you don’t pass resolutions alone, you first call people whom you are leading and forge a way forward together. So, we are going to sit and forge the way forward,” Said Ms. Kyarisiima.
These allied health workers demand that government at least pays them Shs. 3 million monthly for degree holders, Shs. 2 million per month for diploma holders, while certificate holders be paid Shs.1 million.
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