10,000 laboratory technicians announce strike on Tuesday

They are citing low pay, failure to absorb their degree, Masters and PHD holders into the public service and a host of other reasons for which they are set to lay down their tools. 

Apart from the crucial role of surveilling emerging diseases such as Covid-19, lab technicians perform highly mechanical, technical, or diagnostic tests in a scientific laboratory. 

Through these tests, they diagnose diseases which lead to patient treatment. 

Again, laboratory technicians are responsible for recording data, protecting the accuracy and efficiency of scientific experiments, maintaining equipment and laboratory tools and keeping the laboratory organized.

The announcement of this strike comes on the heels of the government's announcement on Friday that it would meet the demands of the 1,400 medical interns who have been on strike since November 8. 

In a letter, dated December 17, to all laboratory technicians, the leaders of Uganda Medical Laboratory Technology Association (UMLTA) announced that they will go on strike because, they claim, the government has refused to address their issues.

“As you are aware, the intended industrial action due to delayed response to our welfare by the government is simply three days from today,” the letter from UMLTA’s leaders reads. 

The laboratory technicians are asking the government to address 13 grievances, chiefly. 

Mr. Denis Alibu, the UMLTA general secretary says these 13 issues concern many key demands such as the absorption of over 3,000 degree holders into the public service so they may be paid Shs 3 million instead of the Shs 2.2 million that the government currently pays non-medical science officers. 

Mr. Alibu also said UMLTA demands that government addresses issues surrounding the refurbishment and equipping of rundown laboratories in hospitals, compensation of the families of laboratory professionals who have died at the frontline in the war against Covid-19, introduction of internship training for laboratory technician graduates, housing allowances for the same, the appointment of laboratory professionals to lead services at district level and the filling vacant positions in the laboratory service. 

In what appears to be one step forward and two backwards, the government again finds itself on the receiving end of even more grievances and demands from the health fraternity.