Non-teaching staff of public universities have threatened to stage a strike at the beginning of the next semester over non salary increase. The group under the Public Universities of Uganda Non –teaching Staff Executive Forum led by Jackson Betihama told the committee on Public Service and Local Government that if their salary is not increased as that of teaching staff they will have no option but start a sit down strike.

The group said that government should enhance their salary because their absence affects the work of the teaching staff yet they earn little. The group also said it is unfair for government to only increase the salary of academic staff leaving out non-teaching staff that make the universities run. They asked the parliament through the Parliamentary Committee of Public Service and Local Government chaired by Grace Kwiyucwiny to prevail over government to provide 37 billion shillings for their salary enhancement.

Workers Member of Parliament Arinaitrwe Rwakajara said it’s not fair for government to only consider the academic staff yet the non-teaching staff are equally important.

The number of Non-teaching staff in all public universities is over 4000 from universities like Gulu University, Makerere University, Mbarara University, Kyambogo University, Muni University, Soroti University among others