Nurses, Midwives announce emergency strike over lunch allowance

Nurses across the country will tonight at mid night go on an emergency strike citing failure by government to honor its promise of providing their lunch allowance.

Government promised to include money for lunch in the next budget of 2021 effective July 2021.

According to Cherop Justus Kiplangat the President Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union says that on 1st October 2020, they wrote a letter to government calling for a strike on 31^st December 2020 over lunch allowance which had been promised to them by President Yoweri Museveni on various occasions.

“Government convinced us not to strike because they would put our money for lunch in the next budget of 2021 effective July 2021. To our dismay, the government has come out to say that the lunch allowance for nurses and midwives of this country is unfunded priority and thus we shall not get it this financial year” Cherop says.

The association president has now written to the National Executive Committee (NEC) about the decision to immediately go on an emergency strike invoking their letter of 1^st December 2020 which was indicating that they would have gone on strike on 31^st December 2020.

“We wish to hereby invoke the same letter and call all nurses and midwives of Uganda to rally behind us and we go on strike immediately effective midnight of 5^th May 2021. Please stay home until our money for lunch allowance is included in the National Budget of 2021/2022. We shall be grateful if you listen and adhere to the call” He added.