Nurses go on strike over lunch allowances

Nurses under their umbrella body the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU), have kicked off a  sit-down strike in demand for their daily lunch allowance of shs15,000  promised to them two years ago.

UNMU last year said during celebrations to mark the International Nurses day on May,12,2018 President Museveni promised shs1 billion into their sacco but the same has not materialized.

The nurses and midwives body also said the president at the same function promised to increase their daily allowances from shs2000 they currently get to shs15000.

However, in a May 4, 2021 letter, UNMU president Cherop Justus Kiplangat has asked all nurses, midwives, and nursing assistants in Uganda to put down their tools after failure by government to fulfill the promise.

“The government convinced us that we should not strike because they would put our money in the next budget of 2021 effective July 2021. To our dismay, the government has come out to say that the lunch allowance for nurses and midwives of this country is an unfunded priority and thus we shall not get it this year,” Cherop said in a communication to all nurses and midwives throughout the country.

He said they have decided to go on strike to show their discontent over failure by government to fulfill its promise to nurses and midwives.

“We will to call all nurses and midwives of Uganda to rally behind us and we go on strike immediately effective midnight of May 5, 2021. Please stay home until our money for lunch allowance is included in the national budget.”