Teachers suspend 32-day strike, shift focus to parliamentary process to end salary inequality

The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) Thursday, October 16, 2025 announced the suspension of its 32-day nationwide industrial action, calling on its members to return to classrooms immediately.

The decision, described as a strategic repositioning rather than a surrender, aims to allow Parliament and ongoing negotiation channels to address long-standing salary disparities affecting thousands of Ugandan teachers.

The strike, which commenced on September 15, 2025, was initiated by UNATU in protest against “long-denied justice” regarding salary discrepancies for teachers in primary, arts, and humanities disciplines across post-primary schools and institutions.

“Today, October 16, 2025, marks Day 32 of our Industrial Action. It has been 32 days of unity, courage and sacrifice in pursuit of fairness, dignity and equity in the teaching profession,” stated Baguma Filbert Bates, UNATU General Secretary, in a press statement. “We embarked on this journey not as an act of defiance, but as a demand for justice.”

Breakthroughs Leading to Suspension

UNATU highlighted several key developments that influenced its decision:

Government Acknowledgment: On September 16, 2025, officials from the Ministries of Public Service, Gender, Labour and Social Development, and Education and Sports met with the Minister of Public Service, where government formally admitted that salary disparities exist.

Official Dialogue Platform: On October 8, UNATU presented its grievance before the Public Service National Negotiating and Consultative Council, the official platform for labour-government dialogue, which promised feedback within two weeks.

Parliamentary Intervention: Also on October 8, UNATU petitioned the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament. The Speaker responded swiftly, issuing a formal communication on October 14, recalling the Committees on Education & Sports, Public Service, and Local Government from recess to urgently address the petition. This marks the first formal recognition in three years that the issue of teacher salary disparities deserves parliamentary attention.

“This alone is proof that our 32 days of Industrial Action have not been in vain,” Bates added, noting that the strike had reopened negotiation channels, secured government acknowledgment, triggered a parliamentary process, and built national consensus on the respect and equity deserved by the teaching profession.

Strategic Suspension, Not Surrender

The decision to suspend the industrial action was made by UNATU’s National Executive Council (NEC) and Branch Chairpersons in a special sitting today, after receiving documented communication from the Speaker of Parliament on October 15, confirming the matter is being expeditiously handled.

“It has been resolved that in the meantime the Industrial Action be suspended to allow Parliament to handle the matter conclusively,” Bates explained. “During this period, we shall remain vigilant, engaged and ready to resume stronger if the outcome does not honor justice and fairness.”

UNATU emphasized that this move is a “strategic repositioning.” “Suspension is not surrender. It is a strategic decision to allow Parliament which is the very institution that allocates the National budget to act,” Bates clarified.

“Our demand is now before Parliament in black and white. If they fail, it will not be UNATU that has failed. It will be Parliament and the Government of Uganda that will have failed the teachers and children of this nation.”

The primary demand outlined in UNATU’s petition is for an increment for primary teachers and those of Arts and Humanities from post-primary schools and institutions, targeting the salary levels they were supposed to receive in Financial Year 2022/23, a standard set by Government together with Public Service Unions in 2018.

Message to Parliament and Members

UNATU has placed its trust in the Speaker and the recalled committees, urging them to demonstrate sincerity and prioritize the education of Ugandan children. “We have given them the benefit of doubt based on the strong belief that Parliament will act in the interest of justice and national integrity,” the statement read.

To its members, UNATU reiterated, “The decision to suspend the Industrial Action does not mean surrender… We have not surrendered our struggle; instead, we have institutionalized it. We now have an accountability Centre – Parliament.”

The union concluded with a stern warning to Parliament: “This is not about UNATU alone. It is about the learners whose dreams depend on motivated teachers. It is also about the integrity of government commitments and the credibility of Parliament as the people’s voice. If you stand for justice, history will remember you as heroes and heroines of fairness. If you turn away, the burden of betrayal will rest on your record forever.”