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KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University management is set to meet with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service to resolve the ongoing staff strike.
Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mukadasi Buyinza, said this in his response to a plea by Guild President Lubega Nsamba, who had urged the university to engage with the striking staff to end the impasse.
In his letter dated October 11, addressed to the Guild President, Buyinza said that the university had previously attempted to resolve the matter through dialogue and consultation. However, the recent invitation by the Permanent Secretary offers a new opportunity for a discussion.
“I am pleased to inform you that a meeting has been called by the permanent secretary, ministry of Public Service to discuss and comprehensively address the issues of salary harmonization which have also been expressed by the staff of other public universities,” reads part of Buyinza’s letter
“The meeting will take place on Tuesday 15th October 2024 and will be attended by members of the University management and the executive leadership of the Joint Staff Associations,” reads another part of the letter.
Makerere University staff started industrial action at the beginning of the week to protest the institution’s failure to harmonize their salaries with those of staff at other public universities.
The striking staff argue that it is unjust for individuals with similar qualifications to receive vastly different salaries, with some Makerere staff earning only half of what their counterparts in other institutions are paid.
The staff in their 7th October 2024 letter which communicated their strike to the University Council Chairperson, accused the university management of failure to honor its commitment to pay harmonized salaries by September 2024 which they had agreed on two months back.
They also raised concerns about the demotion of several staff members and claimed that some staff who had their salaries adjusted received letters without clear salary figures, which they viewed as an attempt to defraud them.
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