By KT Reporter
The nationwide industrial action declared by the Uganda Local Government Workers’ Union (ULGWU) has suffered a stillbirth after it struggled to attract a substantial participation in the different parts of the country.
Last week, the union declared a stay-home strike of workers in the local governments, to protest government’s continued failure to effect their salaries enhancements.
Hassan Lwabayi Mudiba, the ULGWU General Secretary in notice to the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, observed that they had exhausted all avenues of engagement with government but received no satisfactory response.
He noted that the union is protesting the apparent salary inequality among local government workers especially brought about by the selective enhancements, warning that they will not return to work until the disparity is closed.
However, the strike has seemingly failed after it attracted very minimal participation in the different parts of the country.
For instance, in the whole greater Masaka sub region comprising ten districts, the strike has partly been observed only in Lyantonde where a section of workers are reluctant to report for duty.
On Monday, a reasonable number of non-science staff did not show up for duty and their offices were largely deserted.
The few staff that had showed-up were seen appending their signatures on the union’s petition, which they intend to deliver to the Ministry of Public Service.
In their petition, the workers are demanding that the government effects a salary enhancement of not less than 200 percent, which they also want to be paid in arrears from the commencement of this financial year.
Fred Muhangi, the Lyantonde L.CV Chairperson observes that the industrial action has partly paralyzed operations at the district, urging the government to restore normalcy.
Despite the active mobilization, the strike has not been embraced in the Lwengo, Kyotera Masaka and Bukamansimbi districts where work is continuing normally.
Moses Nsereko, the Town Clerk for Kinoni Town Council and Chairperson on local government workers union in Lwengo district, says they chose to give the government a benefit of doubt, given the commitments it made to closing the disparities.
In Masaka district, Uganda Radio Network established that the vast majority of the staff do not subscribe to the Uganda Local Government Workers’ Union (ULGWU) and as a result, were hesitant to comment about the strike and we’re instead continuing with their normal routine.
Similarly in Arua City and Arua district, the staff blatantly ignored the industrial action.
In the two local governments, whose offices are located neighboring each other in Arua City, most technical officers were present at the offices. They had seemingly ignored the industrial action.
According to Dorothy Anguparu, the Senior Communications officer Arua City, all the technical personnel have been working normally and are not part of the protesting local government workers.
“For us here, work has been and is continuing normally because our members are not members of the Local Government Workers Union that declared the strike,” Anguparu told URN on Tuesday.
She added that if there are any registered members of the union, they should have already been summoned to take part in the industrial action.
In Arua district, one of the junior staff who declined to be named, they are not aware of the ongoing industrial action by local governments.
Notably, the division comes about a week later after the Minister of Public Service, Wilson Muruli Mukasa, declared the strikes illegal. He argues the undermine ongoing negotiations on salary enhancements and violate procedures under the Public Service Negotiating and Consultative Council
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