By KT Reporter
Leaders of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) in Fort Portal City have declined to attend a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the office of the Resident City Commissioner (RCC). The meeting was intended to discuss ways of getting teachers back to class amid the ongoing nationwide strike.
At the start of the third term, UNATU announced an industrial action demanding salary increments and protesting persistent salary disparities among teachers. Joseph Ruhweza Marie, the UNATU chairperson for Fort Portal, told URN that although he received an invitation to the meeting, he chose not to attend because the issue of the strike cannot be resolved at the regional level.
Ruhweza explained that decisions regarding the strike are made by UNATU’s national leadership at the secretariat, not by local branches. He added that although some schools in the city remain open, effective teaching and learning are not taking place.
“You see these schools, which are open—even the teachers who are there teaching aren’t comfortable with it. Others, it’s because the headteachers are present and parents send their pupils, but they are not learning,” he said.
The Deputy Resident City Commissioner (DRCC) for Fort Portal, Emmanuel Businge, who organized the meeting, said the aim was to engage stakeholders in finding a solution in the best interest of the learners. However, Businge noted that they resolved to wait for communication from the Ministry of Public Service once the seven-day ultimatum issued by the government expires, before determining their next course of action.
Businge appealed to teachers to reconsider their industrial action and have mercy on learners, especially those in candidate classes. Last week, the Minister for Public Service, Wilson Muruli Mukasa, issued a seven-day ultimatum for striking teachers to return to duty or risk being deleted from the government payroll.
He reiterated that comprehensive pay enhancement for all teachers and local government staff would only be implemented in the next financial year. Meanwhile, on Thursday, UNATU leaders led by Filbert Baguma, the union’s General Secretary, petitioned the Speaker of Parliament over salary discrepancies and other grievances.
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