University non-teaching staff maintain strike

Aug 14, 2015

Non-teaching staff in public universities have maintained their stand of keeping away from office until Government resolves their salary grievances.

By Cecilia Okoth

Non-teaching staff in public universities have maintained their stand of keeping away from office until Government resolves their salary grievances.

On Wednesday this week, Government agreed to raise their salaries to match that of their counterparts the academicians.

However, noted that this offer would accumulate as arrears this financial year and would be cleared during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 fiscal years.

In a meeting held at the Makerere University main hall on Friday, the non-teaching staff under their umbrella Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA) and National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) unanimously resolved to put down their tools.

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However, a meeting is scheduled to take place between the striking non- teaching staff and Government on Monday to discuss the offer Government made.

"Government realized it was a huge mistake not to enhance our salaries just like they did for our counterparts. Secondly, they are willing to pay us but they do not know when and how to do it. Therefore, if they have realized that they should have paid us, let them do it now," said Amos Dembe Ashaba, an Internal Auditor.

Ashaba explained that as an Internal Auditor who is on salary scale M6, he gets Sh2.5m.

However after the teaching staff, salary scales were revised, his colleague on the same salary scale M6 now takes sh4.2m.

"If Government does not have money, let them postpone enhancement across the board. It 's hard to work when there are such salary disparities," He added.

The government this year increased salaries of the teaching staff, making the highest paid professor get an average monthly wage of sh4m to sh6m.

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The non-teaching personnel in the six public universities including Makerere, Kyambogo, Mbarara, Busitema, Gulu and Muni laid down their tools on August 3 seeks sh37b to raise their salaries.

Fatumah Nakatudde, the chairperson MASA expressed her disappointment towards some members of the teaching staff for calling them, detractors.

"For sure we gave our colleagues a hand in what they achieved. I would imagine that they would be behind us in this cause," Nakatudde said, urging her colleagues to remain calm and focused.

Batihamah, the chairperson Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum (PUNTSEF) said since Government has a contingency of sh300b, they should be able to get sh37b to raise the salaries of non-teaching staff just like that of their teaching colleagues.

Related to the story

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Universities’ non-teaching staff strike enters one week

Lecturers oppose non-academic staff strike

Non-academic university staff get pay rise

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