KAMPALA – Staff in public universities across the country has resolved to yet again lay down their tools over their unmet demands for salary enhancement.
The staff who met on Friday at Makerere University resolved that if the money they are demanding is not included in the 2019/2020 financial year through a supplementary budget, they will not report for next academic year which starts in August.
The chairperson of the Forum for Public University academic staff in public universities, Dr Grace Lubaale, said government promised to increase the salaries of all staff in five years, with the professor expected to earn up to the 15 million shillings, but that period has elapsed without any such action.
He says that the government should consider a supplementary budget for this cause.
The money in question was part of President Museveni’s pledge in 2015 to increase the lecturers’ salary in a five-year period. It was supposed to be remitted in the 2017/2018 financial year.
Mr Lubaale said whereas they had agreed with government to remit the money, this has also not been honoured.
“We are referring to the various letters, we have received from various officers, including one from the minister of state for Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Public Service and Secretary to the Treasury, reaffirming government’s position and commitment to clear the outstanding salary balance of Shs29 billion but to date, the money has not yet been cleared,” Dr Lubaale said.
“The minister of Education also assured us that this money was going to be cleared in 2017/2018 financial year but we are shocked that despite all these assurances, we have not seen any tangible progress of receiving the money and an enhanced salary structure in the financial year 2018/2019,” he added.
The members have unanimously resolved to withdraw their labour in all public universities effective semester two for the academic year 2018/2019 in case we do not receive the money in January 2019 payroll,” he said.
The non- teaching staff are demanding a separate Shs4.3 billion for their enhancement.
In 2016, President Museveni closed Makerere University after the staff laid down their tools over the same issue of salary enhancement
