The pay dispute is long-standing thorn in the purse of the Makerere staff that got thornier when, in April, the government released Shs12.6 billion for harmonisation of the staff salaries but the university is yet to implement it
National | Makerere University staff have resolved to withdraw their labour effective Monday if their pay dispute is not resolved by then.
The decision was arrived at in a meeting by the Joint Staff Association on Tuesday.
The pay dispute is long-standing thorn in the purse of the Makerere staff that got thornier when, in April, the government released Shs12.6 billion for harmonisation of the staff salaries.
However, Makerere has not implemented the harmonisation, the staff say.
In the Tuesday meeting, the Joint Staff Association - which comprises the academic staff association Muasa, support staff association Masa, and the National Union of Education Institutions - the staff they have waited long enough.
"Harmonized salaries were not paid by the end of September, despite various commitments by the University Management that this would be done," a statement signed by the Joint Staff Association leaders reads in part.
They said staff from other public universities had received their harmonised salaries.
"The delay and confusion at Makerere University have left many employees feeling disgruntled and marginalised," they said. "The letters some staff have received only indicate the salary scales but not the figures."
The Tuesday general assembly took place on the eve of President Museveni's visit to the university where he is expected to install Chancellor Crispus Kiyonga and commission the refurbished Main Building and Lumumba Hall, as well as the new School of Law building.
While the meeting had been planned for much earlier, the President's events at the university gave it more impetus with staff considering it as the moment of reckoning to bring their grievances to the attention of the head of state.
And like light follows darkness, Tuesday's events were held under a shroud with the staff pregnant with suspicision that security was set on foiling their meeting.
The mood was dampened further when the staff were denied access to the auditorium of Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility as scheduled.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
They took solace in the staff canteen where they appealed for President Museveni' intervention in their pay dispute.
"We request His Excellency to use his general authority as the President of Uganda and Visitor of Makerere University to rein in the management of Makerere University to fully harmonise the salaries of staff as government facilitated it to do," the statement said.
At the end of the meeting, the apprehensive lot exiting the staff canteen scampered for dear lives at the sight of a pocket of police officers who were left bewildered by the sight of the fleeing staffers.
Security has since told the Nile Post that there was no plan to interfere with the Makerere staff meeting.
The salary harmonisation issue has been a contentious matter at Makerere for several years, with staff continuously calling for equal pay across public universities.
The government's recent allocation of Shs12.6 billion was seen as a step toward resolving the long-standing dispute.
However, Makerere University's inability to implement the harmonization has further aggravated tensions.
The Nile Post has contacted both the Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, and University Council chairperson Dr Lorna Magara on the failure to meet the end of the bargain but neither had responded at the time of publishing this article.
The staff, who addressed their latest grievances and threats to Dr Magara, have warned that "if management continues to ignore these concerns, the inevitable unrest will follow, with a view to ensure equitable employment systems across public universities."
The staff have agreed that the executive committees will call upon them to withdrawal their labour on Monday next week, until management implements full harmonisation as agreed upon at earlier meetings.
