If you’re dissatisfied with current salary, resign- Govt tells striking workers

The Minister for Public Service, Muruli Mukasa has asked government workers dissatisfied with their current salaries to resign.

Early this week, prosecutors started an indefinite sit down strike over payment, a move that came on the backdrop of health workers who had also threatened to strike over similar issues.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Friday, Muruli said that government is working by the clock to ensure the salaries for all its workers are increased but warned this would not come now but in the next financial year.

“If there are individuals who feel tired or don’t want to work for the current salary structure, they are free to walk away,”Muruli Mukasa said.

He said that government is working on a masterplan that would see salaries for its workers are increased so as to cope with the increasing cost of living but warned that this goes in phases.

The Public Service Minister said that as directed by President Museveni , his ministry and the one for Finance have finalized with plans for the overhauling of the pay structure for government workers which he said would be done with by November.

“We are trying to see how the money is got so that if we commit to increasing the salaries, it does not stop at six months. We want to do it for the all government workers and not individual departments and agencies.”

The State Minister for Finance David Bahati said government is cognizant of the increasing cost of living and inflation in the country adding that this will be addressed through salary increment to its workers.

“The shilling ten years ago is not the same value like it is today. It is work in progress and we hope by November we will be able to finalise this,”Bahati.

Government recently accepted to increase the salaries and benefits for judicial officers who were striking over low pay and salary discrepancies.

In their complaints, prosecutors who resumed their sit down strike this week said their monthly earnings are not at the same level with their counterparts in other government agencies and institutions.

The state attorneys cited earnings of a driver in the Inspector General of Government’s (IGG) office who earns slightly over Shs1m a month and an office attendant in the same office who receives salary of Shs1m which they said was unfair.

According to the Public Service Minister, government is working around the clock to harmonise the discrepancies in the salary structure for all government agencies and institutions but said this has been limited by lack of funds.

“It is not that we have the money and have deliberately refused to increase their salaries but we are restrained by funds.”

He however asked government workers to wait until the financial year 2018/2019 for the new salary structure to be in effect.

“Those who feel they cannot wait should leave work but standing orders are very clear that if someone is away for thirty days, they will be declared to be away without official leave.”

The minister added,” Let us not be speculative on this because no one of them is saying they do not want to work. The issue is that we are working on their issues.”

The State Minister for Finance on the other side asked government workers to bear with the situation but assured them things would be better soon.