The government has given all striking teachers a few hours until the close of business today, to either report back to work or risk losing their jobs to others.
This development follows a directive by the Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magyezi to government officers in districts, to monitor and report back names of teachers who will not attend school on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.
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Hon Magyezi in his communication states that the government is liaising with all chief administrative officers, district education officers, district inspectors of schools, sub-county, and parish chiefs to monitor those absent from school.
Magyezi's announcement was delivered on Monday during a meeting between the Minister and local government on the Parish Development Model in Greater Mbarara District.
“As government, we have agreed that all those that will not have returned to class by today (Tuesday), will have absconded from duty henceforth, sacked and their jobs will be advertised,” he said.
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Magyezi accused the teachers of acting selfishly noting that the government has been committed to paying them handsomely even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic while schools remained shut.
“You cannot hold the government at ransom when discussions and negotiations to have your grievances addressed are ongoing,” he said.
Over 120,000 teachers under their umbrella body, Uganda National Teachers Union-UNATU, pronounced industrial action this month over indiscriminate pay.
The teachers have since refused to attend lessons, despite a dialogue meeting with both the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his wife and Minister of Education and Sport, Janet Kataaha Museveni.
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The Ministry of Public Service last week ordered the striking teachers to return to their duty stations by June 24 without fail or be sacked.
The Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire communicated the decision in her letter to UNATU.
In her letter, Bitarakwate notes that whereas teachers, just like all other government employees, have rights and freedoms to withdraw their labor, the union neither gave the government notice of the strike nor exhausted the dispute settlement mechanisms as required by the public service negotiating, consultative and dispute settlement Machinery Act.
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Filbert Baguma, Unatu's general secretary, maintains that Arts teachers will continue with the strike unless their issues are addressed.
