The Opposition in Parliament has asked government to expedite the establishment of the Salary Review Commission to ensure equitable salaries for all public servants.
The proposal from the Opposition was presented during the Tuesday plenary sitting by the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Abed Bwanika.
“We call upon the Ministry of Public Service to expedite the establishment of the Salary Review Commission. There must be harmonization in enumeration of all workers. Whether you are a scientist or an artist, we all deliver service to this government, to the people of Uganda. There must be equity,” said Hon. Bwanika.
His submission followed a statement by the Minister of State for Finance -General Duties, Hon. Henry Musasizi on the payment of salaries for scientists under the Uganda Prisons Service.
Musasizi’s statement followed concerns that the personnel had not received a salary increment by virtue of being scientists in the public service, which decision was reached by the Cabinet on recommendation by President Yoweri Museveni.
According to the Minister, the concerns of non-payment of a section of scientists in government departments like the Uganda Prisons Service, maybe due to the respective terms of employment specified in their appointment letters. He said that these would be elaborated on by the public service and internal affairs ministers.
However, Hon. Bwanika said that enhancing salaries of one category of workers was discriminatory and must not be accepted.
“I am talking from a background that I am a scientist, it is not true anywhere in the world that when you enhance only scientist workers of government…that will cause development of that nation. That is not true,” said Hon. Bwanika.
“It is important, while we are thinking about government policies, to do proper research. Government policies must be informed by research. People who go to the president, we don’t want policies that are not based on research that drive this country into chaos. What we are facing now is anarchy, it is chaos within the public service,” Hon. Bwanika observed.
Hon. Joseph Ssewungu, the Kalungu West MP also disagreed with the idea of segregating civil servants based on their training inclination, arguing that salaries should instead be set based on one’s qualifications.
Ssewungu said that it is extremely unfair to segregate salaries based on one being a scientist or artist in training yet all professions depend on each and cannot survive on their own.
Several other MPs from across the political divide also challenged the idea of an enhanced pay for scientists saying that it is a source of undue animosity.
Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa noted that the distortions in civil servants of the same profession continue to exist in other government agencies, mentioning that pilots in the Uganda Police Force are the least paid pilots in the public service, just like the lawyers.
In response, the Minister of Public Service, Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa said that his ministry hided to the proposal of having in place a Salary Review Board or Commission and that their proposals have already been sent to Cabinet.