The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has warned that teachers across the country could resume industrial action if Parliament fails to address their long-standing grievances over salary disparities and the government’s failure to honour the 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The warning was issued by UNATU Secretary General Filbert Baguma while appearing before Parliament’s Joint Committee on Education and Public Service on October 29, 2025.
The committee is currently considering a petition on salary disparities and the government’s delayed implementation of the agreed salary enhancement plan.
“As leaders, we told our members to give Parliament the benefit of the doubt. We suspended the strike to allow your committees to handle this matter,” Baguma said. “But this hope must not be betrayed. If Parliament fails to act decisively and fairly, it will not just be the teachers who are betrayed, it will be the learners of Uganda. If the outcome does not address the disparities, our members have agreed that industrial action will resume.”
Baguma reminded lawmakers that the teachers’ strike, which had lasted 32 days, was only suspended following the intervention of Speaker of Parliament Anita Among.
The Speaker recalled the Committees on Education and Public Service from recess to urgently address the matter, a move that Baguma said restored some hope among teachers.
He defended the strike as a necessary response to what he called the government’s “prolonged silence” on the issue. “The industrial action didn’t happen haphazardly. It was a last resort. If government had implemented the CBA signed with public service labour unions, we would not be in this situation,” Baguma said. “Teachers who once stood united are now divided by subject specialisation, which is unfortunate.”
State Minister for Public Service Grace Mugisa told the committee that the government is implementing a phased approach to salary enhancement in line with the 10-year pay policy plan approved by Cabinet.
She revealed that about two weeks earlier, she attended a meeting at State House Nakasero with the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, and other stakeholders to discuss the issue. “We agreed in principle that salary enhancement will be done in phases. We started with scientists, then security officers in the UPDF, police, and prisons, followed by commissioners, undersecretaries, and town clerks.
Speaker Anita Among after meeting with officials of UNATU and Local Government Workers recently. Courtesy Photo
The next phase will cover the entire arts cadre, including teachers,” Mugisa explained. “Negotiations with UNATU are still ongoing, and we plan to convene an inter-ministerial meeting with all humanities and arts leaders to plan the next steps.”
However, MPs expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s explanation. Upper Madi County MP Isaac Joakino Etuka accused the Ministry of Public Service of betraying the 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement and failing to act for over seven years. “If the minister wasn’t shameless, she would resign instead of giving excuses,” Etuka said bluntly. “No real action has been taken. You can’t claim to have one salary scale when the differences in pay are so wide. This shows a lack of fairness and reasoning within the system.”
Etuka further warned that continued failure to resolve the issue would cripple Uganda’s education sector. “Instead of finding ways to raise funds, the ministry is busy threatening teachers who are the backbone of our education system. In some schools like Nabisunsa and Budo, parents have had to pay extra fees to bridge pay gaps among teachers. This is unsustainable,” he added.
According to UNATU, the teachers’ strike was triggered by the government’s persistent failure to respond to their petitions and repeated postponement of meetings.
Baguma lamented that the teaching profession, once defined by unity, has now been fractured by inequality.
“The very profession that once prided itself on solidarity now lives in division,” he said. “Industrial actions disrupt lessons, delay syllabus completion, and breed uncertainty in schools. The quality of our education is at stake. We need motivated and supported teachers to deliver the education Ugandans deserve. Some teachers are so demoralized that they report to work but do not teach.”
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