The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Major General Kahinda Otafiire has appealed to prosecutors to suspend their strike, giving a three-month period in which he said government will respond to their grievances.
Yesterday, the prosecutors, through their umbrella body, the Uganda Association of Prosecutors (UAP) resumed their strike after the elapse of 90 days ultimatum when they voted to suspend industrial action, following government’s pledge to increase their salaries and improve on their working conditions.
In a press statement, Otafiire said Prosecutors aren’t the only government workers waiting for improved payment.
“This matter has to be approached scientifically. My fellow workers go back to work. ’We have seen medics’ strikes, lawyers, teachers, everybody in government service is jittery and they are right,” Maj Gen Otafiire said, adding: “We are all waiting to know how much the government will be paying us, Let us just be patient.”
According to Otafiire, the performance of Uganda’s economy will determine the payment scale of government workers.
“Industrial action is not a new phenomenon, the reason being we have not improved prosecutors and other workers welfare, taxes are not enough,” he added.
Currently, the bill to harmonise worker’s salaries is before parliament and Otafiire said that government will respond to the Prosecutors’ grievances in a period of three months.
Under the current salary structures, the lowest ranking prosecutor earns a gross salary of Shs644, 963 a month while the highest paid prosecutor, at the rank of Senior Principal State Attorney, takes a gross monthly pay of Shs2.1 million. The Deputy DPP is paid Shs2.9 million while Assistant DPP earns Shs2.4 million.
