Days after secondary school science teachers threatened to go on strike over salary increment, allied health professionals have also made their intentions for industrial action known.
As we reported recently, Government has approved salary enhancements for a number of health professionals in the country, starting in the 2022-23 financial year, which kicks off on July 01. (Read Story Here).
The move to enhance salaries of government employees left out teachers. (Read Story Here).
Secondary School science teachers reacted to the news with threats of a strike. (Read Story Here).
Now, it seems almost all groups of government employees have grievances related to salary increment.
Under the Allied Health Professionals Associations, some health workers like those under Uganda Dispensers Association, Uganda Medical Records Association, Uganda Dental Association, radiographers, and vector control officers, have demanded attention for the salary increment concerns.
They say they will lay down their tools if their salary-related grievances are not addressed within 21 days.
The biggest complaint for these allied health professionals is that government plans to increase salaries of other health workers while leaving them behind.
According to their leaders such as Patrick Denis Alibi, government had agreed to increase salaries of diploma holders to Shs3m and certificate holders to Shs1.5m in line with the 2017 collective agreement.
Alibi told reporters in Kampala on April 25 that it is unfair for government to increase other health workers’ salaries and leave them behind yet they are also important and have even played a great role in the fight against Covid19.
They have proposed that government should look at the entire salary structure for the health sector and increase salaries for all workers.
“Five years ago, we did not have segregation. This was greatly embraced, so why would health workers with the same level of qualification be getting different salaries?” wondered Uganda Dental Association President Maxwell Okwi.
“Let it be aligned such that all diploma holders in the health sector get the same amount without discrimination and this new system should be scrapped off.”
