Uganda Cancer Institute Employees Threaten Strike over Unpaid Salaries.

Approximately 300 employees working at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) have issued a threat to go on strike due to unpaid salaries for the past two months.

Unnamed sources among the UCI staff revealed that they did not receive their salaries for the month of February and were concerned about the likelihood of not receiving their March salaries as well. The sources requested to remain anonymous.

 On March 27, UCI Executive Director Dr. Jackson Orem admitted to a delay in payment of staff salaries for the current month in a letter that was obtained by the publication.

“This has been attributed to a delay in the release of supplementary wage following salary enhancement,” he wrote in an internal memo.

Additional UCI employees have come forward, stating that they are facing difficulties in maintaining their livelihoods and are having trouble paying their bills. “My children are sitting at home because I haven’t received a salary for two months. I am living a miserable life as a man who is working but not getting paid”.

According to Dr. Orem's guidance, the Ministry of Finance will provide the institute with a final decision regarding their overdue salaries on March 31st.

UCI, the facility handles around 65,000 patients annually. World Health Organization (WHO) figures also indicate that Uganda topped 30,000 new cancer cases with over 20, 000 deaths in 2022.