The state minister for Finance in Charge of General Duties Henry Musasizi has revealed that currently, the government has no money to enhance salaries of arts teachers.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Minister asserted that however much the arts teachers continue with their industrial action, there is no money and they cannot make any promises.
“We want to enhance salaries for all our civil servants across all ministries because most of them are not well paid. But due of the resource constraint, we cannot do this at ago that is why we are doing it in a phased manner. We advise teachers to go back to classes as we plan for the medium term. However, this is going to impossible in this coming Financial Year but later there will be ways.”
It’s almost two weeks since the arts teachers went on strike over what they termed as discriminatory salary enhancement.
Although last week the government ordered them to go back to classes latest before Friday, or they risk being sacked for absconding from duty and engaging in an “illegal” industrial action, they did not hearken to the threats of the government.
“Any government-employed teacher who does not comply [with] this call will be regarded as having abandoned duty and resigned from public service in accordance with Section A-n (17) of the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders, 2021,” Ministry of Public Service Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate noted in a terse letter to Filbert Baguma the Secretary-General of Uganda National Teachers Union-UNATU.
The leadership and members of UNATU dismissed the threat, and they asked the government to address the issue of salary disparities between Sciences and Arts teachers instead of intimidating them yet they are exercising their labour rights.
Minister Musasizi statements also come at a time when government has just called for an engagement with the teachers.
According to a letter dated June 28th 2022, addressed to the UNATU Secretary-General and signed by Ms Bitarakwate, the meeting is expected to take place on Friday, July 1st 2022 at the Ministry of Public Service Boardroom.
Ms Bitarakwate asked the UNATU Secretary-General Filbert Baguma to go with the other 4 members of the Union Executive Members to discuss issues raised by UNATU that sparked off an industrial action that started on June 15th 2022.
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