Teachers across Uganda have agreed to temporarily suspend their strike after reaching a new understanding with Parliament. The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) announced that educators would return to work while giving Parliament two weeks to address long-standing salary inequalities between science and arts teachers.
The strike began last month after the government increased salaries for science teachers but excluded their counterparts in arts and humanities. The union argued that the move was unfair and created division among teachers.
Following weeks of discussions with government officials, including Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, UNATU leaders decided to give dialogue another chance. Among directed the Education and Public Service Committees to investigate the issue and present a report within two weeks.
During a press briefing at the UNATU headquarters in Kampala, General Secretary Filbert Baguma confirmed that the union had chosen to pause the strike, not end it. He urged teachers to resume work as Parliament handles their grievances.
“Teachers are peace-loving citizens who prefer dialogue over confrontation,” Baguma said. “We call upon all teachers to return to their duty stations as we await Parliament’s response. However, if no real action is taken, we will not hesitate to resume our strike.”
Some teachers, however, expressed doubts about the government’s commitment, saying they had heard similar promises before that were never fulfilled.
The press conference was attended by Members of Parliament representing workers, including Charles Bakabulindi, Agnes Kunihira, and Arinaitwe Rwakajara. They praised teachers for choosing dialogue and urged the government to act quickly to prevent further disruption in schools.
UNATU emphasized that the suspension was a sign of goodwill, not surrender. The union will continue monitoring progress and take further action if Parliament and the government fail to honor their commitments.
The temporary suspension brings relief to thousands of students who had been stranded for weeks due to the strike.