President Yoweri Museveni has advised teachers to call off the strike and go back to their respective workstations.
This follows today’s meeting between Museveni and the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) leadership at Kololo Independence grounds.
The meeting was also attended by the Minister for Education and Sports, Janet Museveni. It was arranged to chart a way forward over calls to end their three-week-old strike.
On June 15, the art teachers decided to lay down their tools in protest over the government’s move to increase the remuneration of only the science teachers.
However, after the meeting today, Museveni, through his social media platform, said that as a government they have provided their position and pledged to competitively remunerate workers guided by a science-led strategy.
“This does not mean we have forgotten others, but we are choosing to prioritize the few, and others can come later. We must finish one problem at a time,” said Museveni.
According to Museveni, he does not believe in using short-term strategies to solve issues.
“The arts teachers insist that we should use the available resources to improve salaries across the board. Whilst this is possible, it does not solve the salary issue. It is okumemerera (sprinkling), where everyone will get a little, and then next year everyone strikes, “he said.
He also warned against the continued striking.
“We have a strategy and no one should disrupt us. We are aware of the issues and we are committed to handling them. Therefore, my advice to the teachers is that they should go back and teach,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNATU is yet to reveal whether it will call off its ongoing industrial action which has entered its fourth week.