Government invites teachers for another round of negotiations

By Juliet Nalwooga

The leadership of the National Teachers Union (UNATU) leadership has again been invited by government to further negotiate further, the fate of arts teachers who are currently on strike over pay.

The meeting between the Vice President, workers’ unions, workers MPs, and the leadership of the teachers union is slated for later today.

Meanwhile, in a letter dated June 27, addressed the UNATU’s General Secretary Mr Filbert Baguma, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Catherine Bitarakwate says government has scheduled another meeting with UNATU slated for July, 1 2022.

The arts teachers who are strike over their unmet demands for salary enhancement have over the past two weeks received contradictory responses from different government officials.

During a recent meeting held between UNATU leadership and President Museveni in Entebbe Statehouse, the teachers were directed to return to class and the ministries of Public Service, Education and Finance to come up with a payment plan.

While the Prime Minister Robina Nabbanja had threatened to have the striking teachers deleted from the government pay roll by today.

However, on Monday this week, Public Service Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa addressed journalists about the matter with a different tone insisting that government had opted to resolve the issue of Arts teachers’ salary enhancement through dialogue.

UNATU’s General Secretary Filbert Baguma has since maintained that their strike is still on.

Written by Noelyn Nassuuna