Classrooms May Reopen Soon as Parliament Backs Teachers’ Demands

There is renewed hope that striking teachers may soon return to the classroom after Parliament pledged to urgently address the grievances of civil servants who have been on industrial action for more than three weeks over salary disparities. This follows petitions presented to Parliament on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, by leaders of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), the Technical Vocational Education Trainers’ Association (TVET), and the Uganda Local Government Workers’ Union (ULGWU). The heated engagement, chaired by Speaker Anita Among, lasted over two hours and nearly reached a stalemate when UNATU General Secretary, Filbert Bates Baguma, demanded that Parliament treat their concerns as a matter of national importance and give a clear commitment to salary enhancement before teachers could call off their strike. Baguma expressed disappointment that, despite patient waiting for over three years, the government had failed to honor its obligations under the 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). He said the government’s 2022 decision to increase salaries for science teachers while excluding arts teachers had deepened inequality in the education sector. “In June 2018, public service unions signed a collective bargaining agreement with the government, but to our shock, in 2022, the government came up with a discriminatory scheme that created disparities in the teaching profession,” Baguma said, adding that many arts teachers are struggling to make ends meet while their counterparts thrive under similar working conditions. He emphasized that their demand is not excessive but intended to restore fairness and parity within the teaching profession. “We are teaching the same learners, under the same roof, and in the same environment. Restoring parity is in the national interest, ensuring long-term retention and improved learner outcomes,” Baguma added. Similarly, Hassan Lwabayi Mudiba, Secretary General of the Uganda Local Government Workers’ Union, said the pay disparities were affecting the implementation of key government programs, including the Parish Development Model. He appealed for urgent intervention to bridge salary gaps among local administrative staff. “For instance, enforcement officers with diplomas in law are recruited under salary scale U8, yet government policy stipulates that diploma holders should be paid at U5,” Mudiba noted. The Technical Vocational Education Trainers’ Association (TVET) General Secretary, Norbert Agaba, told Parliament that their members would decide collectively whether to resume work based on the government’s response. In response, Speaker Among directed the Committees on Public Service and Education, and Sports to urgently scrutinize the salary disparities between science and arts teachers and report back with recommendations. She also instructed the Clerk to write to the Minister of Public Service to act on the petitions. “We are going to work closely with the Executive to resolve this impasse. The President is fully aware of these issues,” Among said. “As the Parliament of Uganda, I promise that we shall do whatever it takes to ensure these matters are resolved. I’m happy this petition has come before the budgeting period, so we can address it in the 2026/2027 national budget.” Among urged the striking teachers and local government workers to call off their industrial action in good faith as Parliament and government collaborate to find a lasting solution. The industrial action, which began on September 15, has disrupted learning in several schools across the country, prompting widespread concern from parents and education stakeholders.