Arts Teachers Ready to Strike Again Over Salary Increment Delay

The Uganda Professional Humanities Teachers’ Union (UPHTU) has written to the Minister of Public Service warning that teachers will revoke their suspended industrial action unless the government honours commitments made at State House, Entebbe, on June 30, 2025.

The warning comes after it emerged that the Ministry of Finance set aside no funds for Arts and Humanities teachers in the 2026/2027 to 2030/2031 budget planning cycle, a gap that was exposed during an interministerial meeting held on March 10, 2026, at the Ministry of Public Service.

President Yoweri Museveni had personally met the union’s National Executive Council at State House last year and agreed to harmonise the salaries of Arts teachers with those of their science counterparts across four phases, with the first phase being a 25 percent salary increment in the 2026/2027 financial year.

The government also agreed at that meeting to reduce Pay As You Earn tax deductions immediately, provide a 20 billion shilling grant to the UPHTU SACCO, offer scholarships for four biological children of each teacher, and begin constructing staff houses from the 2026/2027 financial year.

With none of those commitments reflected in the current budget process, the union says teachers have run out of patience.

“Any deviation from these commitments will not be accepted,” UPHTU president Akello Teopista said in the March 11 letter.

Akello warned that if the government does not act, the strike suspended following the State House meeting will resume. Copies of the letter were sent to the Speaker of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the Head of Public Service, the Minister of Education and Sports, and several workers’ Members of Parliament.