Makerere staff call off strike, give varsity one month to resolve their grievances

Makerere University joint staff associations last evening called off their industrial strike after four weeks of stand off .

This was during the general assembly that was chaired by the MUASA vice chairperson Edward nectar Mwavu who is also the acting Chairperson of the association.

Mwavi revealed that they will return to class effective Monday, February 18th, to pave way for the university council to examine their grievances which include reinstatement of suspended association leaders (Bennet Magara chairperson Masa , Joseph Kalema and Deus Muhwezi Kamunyu Chairperson MUASA), the removal of Bruce Kabaasa and Hon Thomas Tayebwa from the university council and also accept a representative of the non teaching staff association one Ruth Iteu on the council, ending attacks on the autonomy of staff associations and their leaders, facilitating staff appeals tribunals to hear staff appeals expeditiously, and degazzeting unconstitutional amendment of human resource manual among others.

In what seemed like giving in, the joint associations gave the university one month to sort their issues or else they put down their tools once again.

Edward Doctor Mwavu "We shall trust the goodwill of the new council to do the due diligence of the ongoing investigations into lecturers' suspension,"

This came in just a day after members of parliament asked Makerere leadership to resolve their stand off with staff and return the university to normalcy as soon as possible.

Addressing the members of staff, the university council vice chairperson, Dan Kidega assured them that the committees formed by Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe have been disbanded with immediate effect and council commits to reviewing the circumstances under which the three were suspended.

Last month, Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe suspended Kamunyu, Joseph Kalema and Bennet Magara for what he referred to as indiscipline, something he insisted wasn’t related to their roles as association leaders.