By Patience Ahimbisibwe & Al-Mahdi SsenkabirwaThe Minister of Education has told striking teachers to return to class or face the risk of being deleted from the payroll.
In a thinly-veiled threat, Ms Jessica Alupo
yesterday said teachers, whose strike enters a fifth day today, must
return to their duty stations within two weeks or be struck off the
government payroll.
The minister was speaking at a press conference in
Kampala where she appeared alongside the Minister of Information, Ms
Rose Namayanja. In passing the warning, Ms Alupo, a retired army
officer, made allusions to military practice.
“In the army when you disappear for two weeks,
they consider you absent; one month, you are absent without official
leave. When you are absent without official leave, your name gets off
the payroll and the teachers know at what level their names will get off
the payroll and what time they will be reminded that you are going out
of board in terms of your code of conduct,” Ms Alupo said.
She added: “The messages I articulate are of truth
and intended to benefit the teacher. I don’t want to get a single
teacher in breach of the law because of uncoordinated information.
Please teachers, you know your code of conduct, you know what the
Constitution says about someone who absconds from duty for two weeks.”
National exams
Asked to comment about the possibility of the strike affecting the national examinations which are a month away, Ms Alupo said nothing would change, urging teachers to prepare candidates for the exercise.
Asked to comment about the possibility of the strike affecting the national examinations which are a month away, Ms Alupo said nothing would change, urging teachers to prepare candidates for the exercise.
“We have already verified examination centres and
we will soon be transporting the examination papers. The national exams
this year are going to be conducted as scheduled,” she said.
She also invited the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu) leaders to participate in next financial year’s budget.
“The leadership of Unatu is being sought by
government because we are just entering another budget cycle. We would
like to start discussions with them so that we can be able to inform
each other of the likely outcome of the budget for the next financial
year,” she said.
Ms Namayanja said: “We want the teachers to
understand that we are moving together as a country. Even a teacher will
need good health services. They will also need to find a motivated
doctor. If police decided to put down their tools for two days, there
would be anarchy.”
‘Strike to continue’
But Mr James Tweheyo, the Unatu general secretary, said their executive committee yesterday unanimously voted to continue with their industrial action.
But Mr James Tweheyo, the Unatu general secretary, said their executive committee yesterday unanimously voted to continue with their industrial action.
Earlier, Ms Alupo said they had already sought the Solicitor General’s advice on the matter.
“If the situation escalates and the strike goes on
for two weeks, the Solicitor General will tell us if they have really
breached the contract,” Ms Alupo said.
However, Ms Margret Rwabushaija, Unatu chair, said they will evoke the law to support any teacher who will be victimised.
According to Public Service (negotiating)
consultative and disputes settlement machinery Act 2008, workers in
public service shall have a right to withdraw labour or call a strike in
furtherance of a labour dispute, provided the negotiating machinery is
exhausted.
Mr Francis Kemara Abwoli, a teacher at Munteme Fatima college, Hoima said the union had exhausted all areas but failed to agree with government on the 20 per cent salary increment.
Mr Francis Kemara Abwoli, a teacher at Munteme Fatima college, Hoima said the union had exhausted all areas but failed to agree with government on the 20 per cent salary increment.
