Government efforts at negotiations yesterday failed to break the month-long nationwide teachers’ strike that has paralysed learning and put the future of thousands of students preparing for final exams in jeopardy.
The striking teachers and their leaders are expected to convene this morning to decide their next course of action, two days after President Museveni branded them as mercenaries and called their action a betrayal and treason.
Despite the harsh criticisms, the teachers have vowed to press on with the strike until the government offers them a tangible solution. Their tough stance comes after their meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, and the Public Service ministry failed to break the deadlock yesterday.
Mr Museveni, who was addressing journalists at Baralegi State Lodge in Otuke District, yesterday said those who are impatient for pay rise should consider offering their services as mercenaries in the DR Congo. ‘Go to Congo [DRC] where they need mercenaries.
This is betrayal and treason. We don’t have time for mercenaries. Salary disparities will be sorted when we have enough money. It’s suicidal to scatter or sprinkle resources,’ Mr Museveni warned the teachers whose strike has lasted nearly a month since September.
The President, who said he had rejected proposals for his salary increment, told the teachers that he had fought for the country for no money since 1971. He warned that the demand for equal pay across all professions without considering economic capacity was unrealistic.
The teachers laid down their tools on September 15 following years of unresolved salary disparities between them and their science counterparts. In July 2022, the government increased salaries for science teachers by up to 300 percent. Graduate science teachers’ pay rose from Shs1.1 million to Shs4 million, while Grade 5 science teachers’ pay rose from Shs796,000 to Shs2.5 million.
But the salaries for the arts teacher remained static, with arts teachers with a degree qualification earning a gross monthly pay of Shs1,078,162 and taking home Shs841,931, while teachers with diploma qualification earn Shs784,214 gross and take home Shs639,108.
In his address, President Museveni likened the country’s financial management to how his fighters in the National Resistance Army (NRA) operated during the bush war.
‘In the bush, when we had little food, we would ask, who should eat? It was given to the one on guard duty, not everyone.
Even me, the commander, would not eat. The one on duty had to eat so that he could alert us in case of an attack. That’s how we prioritised,’ he said. He explained that the same logic guides government policy with a focus on sectors that are essential for growth.
‘The one who is needed now may not be the most important, but he is the one we need at that time. When we don’t have enough money to pay everyone well, we must start with those who are most needed,’ Museveni said.
The President described attempts to demand uniform salary increases as selfish and short-sighted. Somebody says, ‘either we all get or nobody gets.’ What’s that? That’s prison. You are so selfish, you don’t care what happens,’ he said.
Mr Museveni reminded civil servants that the private sector drives the economy through farming, manufacturing, services, and infrastructure development. He emphasised that economic growth depends on scientists, engineers, and technical professionals.
‘On the roads, we don’t need historians. The road doesn’t need someone quoting Shakespeare. It needs engineers. That’s why we prioritise scientists…’ he said.
The President also rejected comparisons with neighbouring countries such as Kenya, where public servants earn higher wages.
‘They wanted to raise my salary because the salary in Kenya was higher. But I said, please, I am not Kenya; I am Uganda. I don’t want a pay rise now,’ Mr Museveni said, stressing the need for patriotism and patience. He insisted that leadership should be about service, not money.
‘From 1971 up to now, I have been working for very little pay. Those mercenaries [saying] money, money, money, me, me, me, should leave us alone and go to Congo or other places where they want mercenaries,’ he said.
Mr Museveni recalled how the government prioritised judges for salary increments because their role was critical for maintaining justice.
‘We said even if we are all hungry, at least the one who judges us should not be hungry like us.
That’s why we increased the salary of judges first,’ he said. But he faulted MPs for awarding themselves pay rise, saying it was wrong and done without his approval.
‘They made a mistake, but we didn’t support it. I refused a pay rise because it was not the right time,’ he said.
He criticised those agitating for immediate pay rise as betraying the country’s recovery efforts. Using an old African tale, he likened them to a baby suckling a dead mother.
‘There was hunger, and a mother carrying a baby collapsed and died. The baby didn’t know the mother had died and went on sucking. That’s what people are doing. Uganda was down. Instead of struggling to lift it up, they are struggling to succumb. This is betrayal,’ he said.
Mr Museveni said the government is gradually improving salaries in critical areas such as the army, health, and education but warned that the country’s limited resource envelope cannot meet everyone’s demands at once.
He cited senior army officers who had served for more than 40 years and only recently received salary adjustments to ensure they did not retire in poverty.
He urged teachers and other civil servants to emulate the discipline of the liberation fighters who served with dedication and sacrifice.
Mr Museveni stressed that the country’s progress depends on prioritising needs wisely and maintaining peace and stability.
‘We have built some infrastructure roads, electricity and the private sector is rushing in. You can see factories all over. But all these need scientists and skilled people. Let us be patient and move step by step,’ he said.
Teachers insist on strike Despite President Museveni’s warnings, the teachers yesterday vowed to continue with their strike after failing to secure any substantive and tangible feedback from the Ministry of Public Service.
The striking teachers met the National Negotiating and Consultative Council under the Ministry of Public Service for a dialogue, but were not persuaded to call off the strike.
Mr Filbert Baguma, the secretary general of Uganda National Teachers Union, (Unatu) on October 8 told Monitor that they did not get any substantive solution hence their strike continues.
‘When we went to the meeting at Public Service, we insisted we needed substantive feedback but we did not secure any. Therefore, we cannot go empty handed in the meeting with other leaders, so the strike continues,’ he said.
Before meeting Public Service officials in the afternoon, Unatu alongside other striking staff from the Local Government and Technical and Vocational Institutions, petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, over salary discrepancies and asked her office to handle their issues amicably.
‘Our demand is not an excessive claim, but a measure to restore fairness and parity within the profession. It is the minimum requirement to align all teachers with their rightful place in the salary scales and uphold equity in teacher remuneration,’ Mr Baguma said.
But Ms Among tasked the teachers to first call off their strike and resume teaching with immediate effect, promising that salary disparities within their fraternity will be swiftly handled.
She explained that the petition has been brought at a time when Parliament is about to start discussing the budget framework, saying the matter is going to be handled by the Education and Public Service Committee. Ms Among assured them that the money would be included in the next budget.
‘We are going to have these issues resolved. In the circumstances that even if the money comes late, you will always be paid your arrears. But leave us to do the work and make sure that you get your money paid,’ the Speaker said.
Ms Among also promised that their concerns would be communicated to President Museveni. The teacher strike continues in the run up to Senior Four candidates starting their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) Examinations tomorrow.
The teachers have vowed not to supervise the forthcoming national exams unless the government gives them a tangible response.