MPs advise gov’t to request for supplementary budget to sort out striking teachers

By Francis Lubega

23^rd June 2022

A Section of Members of Parliament lead by Buhweju County’s Francis Mwejukye has asked the government to seek for a supplementary budget to resolve the arts teachers’ industrial action.

MPs like Joseph Ssewungu, Abubaker Kawalya and Asuma Basalirwa among others have told journalists at parliament, that instead of the government issuing threatening notices to the striking teachers, it should either commit to teachers to consider their salary increment next financial year or request for a supplementary in parliament which they pledged to support.

Arts teacher’s laid down their tools a week after the government decided to increase salaries of the science teacher’s which they termed as discriminative.

In a letter to Uganda National Teachers Union-UNATU dated June 22, 2022, the Government through the Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire, ordered the striking teachers to return to their duty stations by June 24, 2022 without fail or risk being scrapped off the payrolls since they neither gave the government notice of the strike nor exhausted the dispute settlement mechanisms as required by the public service negotiating, consultative and dispute settlement Machinery Act.

MPs insist that such statements are uncalled for and have pledged to give legal service to all teachers who will be intimidated or chased from work.