By KT Reporter
The Uganda National Teachers’ Union has scoffed at the proposed 25 percent salary increment for teachers and the manner in which it was announced, insisting they will not call off their ongoing strike. For the past weeks, teachers have kept away from classrooms, leaving learners stranded with no lessons taking place. The impact has been more severe in rural areas where many schools have no alternative teachers or support staff to step in, disrupting learning for thousands of children.
With the strike causing widespread disruption, Public Service Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa on Thursday morning addressed the press at the Uganda Media Centre, urging teachers to return to classrooms. He said the government has already put in motion arrangements to implement a 25 percent salary increase. The minister added that the increment, promised by President Museveni, will take effect in the 2026/2027 financial year. He noted that the government, currently finalizing the budget, has already determined the financial requirements for the pay enhancement.
“The Ministry determined the financial requirements for enhancement of the Humanity Teachers as well as for Public Universities, Primary School Teachers, and other Public Officers who are earning below 25% of the 77% approved long-term pay targets. This has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development for consideration in the budget for FY 2026/2027,” said Minister Muruli Mukasa.
However, the announcement has not gone down well with UNATU, which described it as an unserious approach and accused the government of playing to the gallery instead of engaging in constructive dialogue. Filbert Baguma, the union’s general secretary, said he was shocked that the minister chose to announce the development at a press conference. He added that UNATU cannot accept such pronouncements, which lack official communication, noting that the government has previously made similar unfulfilled promises.
As Baguma noted, this is not the first time the ministry has made such promises. When secondary school art teachers went on strike last year, State Minister Grace Mary Mugisa used a similar pledge to call teachers back to class, claiming the increment had been included in the 2025/2026 budget, yet nothing was allocated.
Baguma also questioned how the 25 percent figure was determined, pointing out that science teachers had previously received a 300 percent salary increase. He said such matters should be discussed directly between the union and government, not announced at press conferences.
If the proposed 25 percent salary increment is implemented, degree holder secondary school art teachers, currently earning 1,078,162 shillings, would see their pay rise to 1,347,703 shillings. Diploma holder secondary school teachers, earning 784,214 shillings, would move to 980,268 shillings, while their primary school counterparts, now on 499,684 shillings, would start earning 624,605 shillings.
The minister’s statement, however, remained silent on other promises made by President Museveni to teachers, including a 20 percent tax waiver on the pay-as-you-earn tax. He rather warned that negotiations on salary enhancement are still ongoing and the disputes settlement machinery has not been exhausted.
He added that no union has obtained the legally required certificate from the Public Service Negotiating and Consultative Council, effectively making the ongoing strikes illegal, and ordered teachers to call off the strike immediately.
“In view of the above, the 90-day notice contained in your letters do not meet the legal requirements. Accordingly, any plans by your Unions to proceed with industrial action under the circumstances are illegal and should not be pursued,” the minister added. Muruli warned that the government will dismiss any teachers who refuse to return to duty and will recruit others willing to work.
Reading the minister’s language as ‘threatening’, Filbert Baguma said the minister should review his files and he would find that teachers suspended their 2022 strike and have since been trying to engage the government without success.
He added that after the strike started, the ministry held a meeting to recognize the strike and teachers’ grievances. Baguma questioned how the minister who attended that meeting could be the same person delivering statements at the press conference. He insisted the strike will continue and no amount of threats will deter teachers.
It remains unclear how far the union will push the government amid threats from officials, including the president, who has described striking teachers as a distraction to national progress. Meanwhile, as the strike continues, striking teachers keep mocking their colleagues, especially in urban areas, who are reporting to class. Those attending are being called “Yudas” for betraying the cause, even though they face the same grievances.
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