Ugandan nurses and midwives have today, May 26, started their strike demanding for salary increment despite government assurances that all health workers and scientists will have their salaries enhanced starting July 2022.
According to Justus Cherop Kiplangat, the President of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union (UNMU), the strike is aimed at compelling government to pay each degree-holding nurse or midwife Shs4.8m per month.
“Our demands still stand that; a Degree Nurse or Midwife is supposed to earn Ugx 4,800,000, a Diploma or Registered Nurse or Midwife is supposed to earn Ugx 3,000,000 while a Certificate Nurse or Enrolled Nurse is supposed to earn Ugx 1,350,000=” said Cherop in a notice of declaration of the industrial action.
The UNMU President further noted that government had not indicated the amount by which each of these categories of health workers will have their salaries increased in the FY2022-23.
“The Minister of Public Service wrote to us on the 16th May, 2022 informing us that there will be salary enhancement, however he did not commit himself on how much each cadre will be given in this enhancement yet this was the gist of the matter,” he observed.
The nurses and midwives strike comes days after science teachers ended their 10-day industrial action demanding for salary increment. The science teachers suspended their strike with no deal on how much they would have their salaries enhanced come July 2022. (Read Story Here).
MORE ON SALARY INCREMENT CIRCUS
In order to improve service delivery and end the challenge of strikes over low pay, President Museveni’s government has proposed huge salary increments for teachers, doctors and other employees starting July 2022. (Read Story Here)
The proposed increments have left many people wondering if government will really fulfill this pledge and increase salaries by very high amounts.
For example, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has argued that the promise of salary increment is just ‘another lie.’ (Read Story Here).
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija recently said the money for increasing teachers’, doctors’ and other civil servants’ salaries was available. (Read Story Here).
In August 2021, cabinet approved salary increment for teachers, doctors and other health workers. (Read Story Here).
See the salary structure that had been proposed for the current financial year here.
UPDATED LIST: See Salary Structure for All Government Workers
Meanwhile, an NRM MP has angered teachers after telling them they are too poor to go on strike. (Read Story Here).
