Last month Judicial Officers under their own umbrella association gave the government a month ultimatum to enhance their salaries and improve their working conditions or else they would lay down their tools. The ultimatum elapsed on Thursday and the Courts were largely empty. The association brings together Judges, Magistrates, Registrars and other Court officials. At the High Court in Kampala, the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, many Court users were left stranded as Courts remained under lock and key. Some Lawyers could be seen taking selfies as they passed away their time.
“So, you can imagine the congestion it can cause in the prison facilities.” The President of the Uganda Judicial Officers’ Association Godfrey Kaweesa said the industrial action could not wait any longer. “On the 22nd of July 2017, Judicial Officers across the country converged at the High Court and took a secret ballot vote where they anonymously voted industrial action as a bargaining tool to address priorities in the memorandum.” Said Godfrey Kaweesa. He claimed that the government had marginalized them for so long with low pay and poor working conditions. “We advocate that staff houses be constructed but in the meantime, the housing allowance can suffice. The other aspect is to do with medical insurance; we work very long hours and we have a lot of work, and therefore many of us are sick.”
The association wanted the Chief Justice to be paid 55 million shillings per month while the lowest paid Judicial Officer, the Senior Principal Magistrate Grade II ought to earn 11 million shillings. On better working conditions, the officers wanted better security for Chief Magistrates and the fulfillment of President Museveni’s pledge to provide vehicles to all Judicial Officers to ease their work. “The government looks into our priorities, members shall be reconvened to debate and make the final decision on whether to vacate the resolution or defer it.”
According to the government’s Deputy Spokesperson Col. Shaban Bantaliza, the Judicial Officers are being selfish since many government employees are not paid very well. “When you strike today, what do you want to achieve? And they are proposing, they have put their own proposals on what should be paid to Judicial Officers. How will that be harmonized with the final results of the harmonized public officers’ salary.” In an interview with NTV, the Minister of Finance and Planning, Matia Kasaija advised public servants seeking salary increment to be patient since the Ministry of Public Service was working on a plan to harmonize the salaries of all public servants. “I am appealing to everybody, every public servant who draws a salary from the consolidated fund, to be patient because we have given a task to the Ministry of Public Service to rationalize.” Said the Minister of Finance and Planning.
At the beginning of this month, there was a similar deadlock when Court business was paralyzed following a strike by State prosecutors protesting to low salaries among other issues. They later gave the government three months to solve their grievances or else they lay down their tools, that ultimatum expires in October.
