MUBS joins strike by public university lecturers over salary arrears

Lecturers from the Nakawa based Makerere University Business School(MUBS) have joined their counterparts from other public universities in their strike over salary arrears.

In a January 7 communication by the MUBS Academic Staff Association (MUBASA) chairperson,  Albert Miwanda, the lecturers from the  Nakawa based institution of higher learning have swore allegiance to the strike by their colleagues as the new semester starts.

“The FASPU (the Forum for Academic Staff of Public Universities in Uganda) and PUNTSEF (Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum) executive resolved that unless the money is paid , all staff in public universities will not provide their labour effective January 19, 2019, MUBS being a signatory to the above , we are therefore bound by the resolution and we shall respect the above,” reads in part the letter by Miwanda.

In the letter, the MUBASA chairperson refers to the December 3 resolution in which it was agreed that all lecturers at public universities go on strike as the new semester begins following unsuccessful attempts to secure shs29.5 billion from government.

The letter further says that a series of correspondences have been made to the Public Service, Education and Finance Ministries but no response has been got from the three ministries prompting them to lay down tools.

In December, both the teaching and non- teaching staff in public universities across the country threatened not open for the second semester of the 2018/2019 academic year, pointing at the empty government promises to clear their salary arrears.

According to the public universities staff, the  State Minister for Finance David Bahati committed to a payment of Shs58 billion in the 2017/2018 Financial year as  partial fulfillment of the pledge by the president of increasing salaries for lecturers.

However, during  the financial year 2018/2019budgetary process, the government budgeted for only Shs29.5 billion which has not been paid and it is what they are demanding for now.