By Yawe Araphat.
Uganda Liberal Teachers Union (ULITU) has demanded for a living wage enacted by government as one of the ways to alleviate growing economic constraints faced by professionals in the Education sector.
In a May 17, 2022 Press Statement dubbed “The Ongoing Economic Crisis and Voltaire Situation in the Teaching Fraternity over Salary
Increment and Policy Shift”, and signed by ULITU General Secretary Mr Jackson Erima and President General Mr Evans Kaganizo Mutesasira, the union said it has noticed the current teacher salary status is very low compared to rise in commodity prices.
“We notice that the current teacher salary status/position is very low compared to the growing rise in the price of commodities. On average, a teacher earns a pantry Ushs 500,000/ – which does not meet one’s basic needs”, said the statement.
ULITU said as a union, they welcome the government’s initiative to raise the salary for Science teachers to 4m for University degree holders and 3m for Diploma holding teachers, we call for consideration of other section of teachers who face equal hardships.
“We call for a critical consideration of other sections of teachers who meet equal of higher hardships in the
process of teaching service delivery; like those in hard – to reach areas, those with long experience of service, “ said ULITU General Secretary Mr Jackson Erima.
He said ULITU is now advocating for a living wage for all their members ,both in government and in the private schools who have endured stringent hardships right from the Covid-19 lock down to the present day.
“We would like to open eye to our teachers in Nursery and Pre-primary education, who have never been considered employment by government. They remain easy prey to unscrupulous private practitioners whose drive is profit maximization than look into the plight of teachers who deliver science,” he said.
Mr Erima said the union is greatly concerned with the manner in which different government agencies mess up with teachers’ pay in form of delayed salary payments, missing salaries for months, as well as payment discrepancies including payment to ghost workers.
He said : “ We call upon the reactivation of the National Negotiating and Consultative
Council, (NN & CC) which for some time has been inactive as individual
entities scramble for salary hikes, leaving the less aggressive unattended to”.
ULITU noted that their members have continued to lose hard earned income to go for further studies on pressure of constant changing education polices like the recent
one demanding a teacher for a degree certificate before one enters a classroom.
“This is good on quality enhancement, but it has added a lot of misery and unrest in the teaching fraternity, both financially since they have to sponsor themselves on upgrade while supporting their families hence decline in quality teaching standards,” he said.
Mr Erima said they advocate a different approach, where those teachers with qualifications less than a degree are allowed to phase out systematically as government trains the new entrants with degrees , and at a much better level serving teachers are upgraded without further strain,” he said.
On the on-going job/salary stand-off, as a Union, ULITU strongly calls for open and honest negotiations between government(as the Chief employer of teachers) on one hand , and the Trade Unions, representing teachers in Public employment on the other hand■
