Hassan Lwabayi Mudiba, General Secretary of the Uganda Local Government Workers Union (ULGWU), has threatened that union members will lay down their tools if the government fails to increase their salaries within two weeks.
Mudiba made these remarks during a press conference held yesterday at the union’s offices on Kampala Road.
“We are issuing a two-week ultimatum to the Minister of Public Service to address our concerns. Our workers deserve a salary increase for their dedication and effort. We have been raising this issue for far too long, but the government’s response has been unacceptably slow,” Mudiba said.
Mudiba, accompanied by Sarah Busingye Were from Central, Gerald Asaba from Kyenjojo, and Mukani Miriam from Central, stated that they sought a meeting with the minister of Public Service Wilson Muruli Mukasa to address their demands.
These include increasing salaries for their members and improving working conditions. Mudiba emphasized that they expect to meet the minister within two weeks and issued a one-month ultimatum for their demands to be addressed.
Mudiba highlighted the unfairness of the government paying local government workers lower salaries compared to their counterparts in science-related roles. For instance, local government graduate workers earn Shs 601,000, while those in science fields earn Shs 4 million, and graduate civil aviation workers earn Shs 8 million, despite all working under the same government.
He noted that little attention has been given to addressing this disparity at the policy level.
Regarding planning and budgeting, Mudiba pointed out that statisticians, who manage, analyze, and produce critical data for decision-making, are undervalued.
He referenced the Parish Development Model (PDM), a government development initiative, where programme managers are offered only three-month contracts, which he deemed unfair.
Mudiba acknowledged that since signing the Collective Bargaining and Dispute Resolution Agreement in 2011, it has remained largely non-functional. He also mentioned the 2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was supposed to be implemented within five years but has not been fully honored.
He further criticized the salary disparities, noting that it is unjust for O-level leavers to earn Shs 180,600 and police workers to earn Shs 509,600, given their roles and contributions.
The categories of local government workers expressing frustration include traditional civil servants, community development officers, accountants, planners, stenographers, human resource managers, office attendants, security personnel, drivers, secretaries, records officers, and certain medical officers not yet enrolled on the government payroll, as well as teachers.
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