By Our Reporters.
Uganda Professional Science Teachers have castigated Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU) leadership for trustrating progressive efforts for effecting descent pay for teachers in the country.
The development comes after a May 9, 2022 countrywide Industrial action announced by Uganda Professional Science Teachers Union (UPSTU).
In a strong worded statement UPSTU said UNATU does not represent or speak for science teachers, science tutors, science lecturers and TVET Instructors since they have their our own union fully registered and recognized by government.to represent scientists in education institutions.
“Filbert Baguma, UNATU and other myopic surrogates have launched a fresh campaign to knock down salary enhancement for scientists in education sector,” said UPSTU National Chaiperson Mr Vincent Elong.
He said UNATU letter follows the impact of the current industrial actions where President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni decided to honor his promise of Ushs 4m and 3m to all Uganda Scientists inline with the Presidential directive and Cabinet Resolution of 24th/08/2022.
He said: ” UNATU leadership must back off from their continuous and malicious approach of fighting government policy and programmes for scientists.”
“UNATU must concentrate on lobbying, advocating or demands for better welfare of the members they represent. We now confirm that, UNATU, Proprietors of private schools who occupy big government offices, are the groups who were working very hard and underground to remove science teachers again from the lists of scientists marked to benefit from the salary enhancement for FY2022/2023 as directed by President Museveni.
Mr Elong said the new development is the same tactics deployed in Financial Year 2018/2019, as clearly spelt out in the letter from UNATU General Secretary, dated 12th May,2022.
“UPSTU condemns in the strongest terms possible this kind of weak strategies from our union leaders, who even failed to engage government effectively, but are only targeting knocking down salary enhancement of scientists in the education sector .
He said: “Advocating for CBA now, a document that was not fully signed by the key and concerned government offices like the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), the Solicitor General, and the Permanent Secretary (MGLSD), is itself very weak.
“Besides the whole matter the CBA in question has never been registered by MGLSD,” he said.
Mr Elong said all the unions that signed the document should have first followed up the responsible government officers to legalise the document with government.
“Why raise this matter now after being quiet and unbothered for five years?? “, he said.
UPSTU said in the statement that they will not tolerate any body or groups of detractors that are working towards sabotaging and failing the salary enhancement of scientists in the education institutions. They said they will not accepted the repeat of Financial Year 2018/2019.
“We strongly condemn this kind of approach and call upon the entire labour movement to disassociate itself from such a retrogressive strategy.UPSTU strongly appeals to all union leaders to support this government program of salary enhancement for all scientists as a basic to advocate for better even a much better pay rise for the members we represent,” said Mr Vincent Elong..
The union is now calling on UNATU leadership to apologize to science teachers, science tutors, science NTC Lecturers, TVET/NIC instructors and Lab. Ast., for the continuous marginalization and discriminated in the pay rise of all scientists.
UPSTU National Chairperson Mr Vincent Elong told the Workers Eye that scientists are not only in education institutions, but are spread in all government ministries and departments and must equitably be treated for next pay enhancement.
“No body talks about the counterparts humanity in other sectors being discriminated. For instance we have scientists who are in the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), Police officers, and agricultural extension workers at Local Government who are scientists and are paid as scientists,.” he said.
He said: “Are there no policemen or Soldiers who went through the same training? . *Why target only science teachers who actually do not do the same work?? We are scientists who train other scientists.*
The UPSTU leader refuted discrimination reports of arts teachers from science teachers alone, saying itself is not substantive enough adding that all Circular Standing Instructions (CSI) as issued by Ministry of Public Service from 2012 to date clearly spelt out the different salary structures of scientists of U5sc, U4sc, U3Sc, U2Sc & U1Sc against that of humanity of U5, U4, U3, U2 & U1.
“Scientists have since then been paid a different monthly salaries from their humanity counterparts.” he said.
UPSTU clarified that the job evaluation undertaken by Public Service Ministry created a distinctions in the pay of scientists against humanity professionals. The union said job evaluation was not based on academic qualifications alone, but also other factors like risk factors involved while executing duties, mental energy,
amount of time put in, physical energy, experience and expertize plus the kind of work one does.
“The professional science teachers say reasoning that all teachers are the same and must be paid the same salary, is itself very weak and not substantive enough to validate the claim for equal pay for all graduates or Grade V,” said UPSTU ..
Mr Elong stated that those advocating for ” same pay for all professionals must bear in mind that science teachers are already scientists paid under a separate salary structure of U5Sc, U4Sc, U3Sc, etc, NOT U5, U4, U3, among others
“My strongest appeal to H.E. the President, all the Ministers, MPs and all the union leaders is to support government enhanced salaries for scientists now and we will use this as a basis to advocate and demand for salary enhancement for the arts or humanity comrades,” he said.
A cross section of trade union leaders expressed their views on the matter with mixerd feelings but calling for dialogue■
