Lecturers at the School of Law in Makerere University have broken their silence on the recent developments at the institution that saw the vice chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe suspend among others staff association leaders Dr. Deus Kamunyu, Mr. Bennett Magara and Mr. Joseph Kalema.
Dr. Kamunyu is the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Chairman whereas Mr. Magara and Kalema are chairman and general secretary in Makerere Administrative Staff Association respectively.
The lecturers that included professors Jean-Barya, Oloka-Onyango, Kasimbazi and Sylvia Tamale released a five paged legal opinion giving their mind on the state of the suspensions that they concluded were illegal and advised that they be withdrawn to pave way for more peaceful negotiations between the associations and the administration.
The lecturers criticized the vice chancellor for gagging the constitutionally guaranteed rights of association and academic freedoms citing that no employers should seek to interfere with operations of labour unions in any way.
“We wish to observe that an association or union leader enjoys the protection of the law and in particular under the Labour Unions Act, in that no employer is allowed to interfere with the administration of a Labour Union or to discriminate in regard to terms and conditions of employment or to discharge any employee on account of their involvement in union activity” the letter reads in part.
Lectures at the School of Law are on halt from the time MUASA announced industrial action over the behavior of management towards their leaders. The lecturers maintain that their association’s plight must never be interfered in by employers (the vice chancellor and management in this case).
“We therefore believe that the act of suspending association leaders is unacceptable as it is an attack on the freedom of association and academic freedom, not only of those leaders but the entire academic and administrative staff” they noted.
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