By Christopher Oola
Gulu University has directed all teaching and non-teaching staff to call-off their Industrial Action and report back to work with immediate effect.
The teaching and non-teaching staff of Gulu University on Friday joined other public Universities across the country on Industrial Action over salary increment.
The leadership of the Forum for Academic Staff of Public Universities and Non-teaching Executive Forum indicated that they had decided to lay down their tools starting Feb, 16, 2025 until the money for salary enhancement is included in the national budget for the financial year 2025/2026.
In her letter dated Feb, 24, 2025 Theresa Mary Obbo, the Chairperson Gulu University Council, asked the staff to call-off the sit down strike and return to work immediately as guided by the Ministry of Public Service.
Obbo says the staff association do not have any legal mandate to close the University as stipulated in the Universities and other tertiary institution act, 2021 section (40 and 41) and giving directive on how the University should be managed except have the right to follow the procedure in line with section 7 and 8 of the public service (negotiating, consultative and dispute settlement machinery) act.
On Thursday last week, while responding to the universities, the Permanent secretary Ministry of public services, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire says the government has not been able to allocate additional resources for salary enhancement in the financial year 2025/2026 for any group.
Musingwiire says over 251,000 public officers in the country has not received any salary enhancement since 2014 but on the other hands the salaries of public University staff from the rank of associate professor to vice chancellor has been enhance by 100% while other staff at the Public University have been enhance by a minimum of 77% of the approve long term target.
In 2015, the president directed for the salary enhancement of the teaching staff at the public Universities with professors earning up to 15 million shillings per month while other staff enhancement would subsequently follow.
Since then the staff of public universities have been staging numerous on and off strikes to compel the government to fulfill its pledge but all in vain.
