80 staff of Mbale school of the deaf suspended after demanding salary arrears

Mbale, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Eighty workers of Mbale School of the Deaf have been suspended indefinitely for demanding their salary arrears for the past 13 months and appointment letters. The affected include teachers, guards, cleaners, and cooks who are not on the government payroll.  

James Mwayafu, one of the cooks, says they have been working without pay and appointment letters for the last thirteen months, which raised their concern. He says they severally tried to seek explanations from the headteacher, Rose Nelima in vain. 

According to Mwayafu, they tried to pressurize Nelima last week to pay them but were instead served with suspension letters forcing them to seek redress from the office of the Board chairperson. Steven Masiga, the Board Chairperson Mbale School of the Deaf, says they have severally directed the headteacher to clear the affected staff but he can’t tell why it has taken this long.

He says the money that the affected workers demand the school have now accumulated to about Shillings 300 million, saying it will be hard for the pay since the majority of the students they expect to collect fees from are stuck at him because of the lockdown.   

Nelima declined to speak to URN on phone insisting that she can only speak to the reporter at her office.

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URN