Teachers under the Uganda National Teachers’ Union—UNATU—start their two-day sit-down strike today to protest government’s failure to improve on their welfare including salary increment.
Teopista Birungi Mayanja, the UNATU general secretary, announced the strike on Saturday saying all teachers would remain home on July 16th and 17th.
Presenting the communication in a press briefing in Mbale on Saturday, George Wamai Kuloba, the Eastern Regional UNATU chairperson, explained that during the protest, teachers are not expected to report on duty as schools will remain without any productive business.
He said on July 17th UNATU together with five other civil society organizations will present their petition demanding attention from Parliament on the citizens’ action for quality public education. The organizations include Uganda Joint Christian Council, Uganda Muslim Education Association, Forum for Education NGOs in Uganda, Uganda National NGO Forum and Action Aid International Uganda.
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Kuloba says UNATU disassociates itself from a press statement by Jessica Alupo, the Minister for Education and Sports, indicating that the Ministry had consulted with the teachers’ union body to call off the protest.
According to the press statement, the Minister said government’s position is that the schools will remain open on 16th and 17th in accordance with the school calendar released at the beginning of the year.
She accordingly directed the Chief Administrative Officers, District Education Officers and local government leaders to inform all teachers, parents and pupils.
But Kuloba said UNATU also notified the Ministry of Public Service and the Inspector General of Police of their peaceful protest.
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He warned head teachers against coercing teachers during the two day protest. He said UNATU would regard as saboteurs those who would force the teachers to go to school during the two-day strike.
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This would be the 2nd time in just over a year that teachers are protesting against government’s failure to increase their salary by 100 percent.
Negotiations between teachers and government in August last year culminated into a 15 percent salary increment in the financial year 2012/2013. In the proposed budget for this financial year government increased the teachers’ pay by 41, 000 shillings. Teachers are however still demanding 100 percent salary increment.
