Having failed to come up with an amicable solution to the ongoing impasse between the staff and management at Makerere University, the university authority has directed striking staff to return to class and teach or face dismissal.

In a circular dated February 5, the Makerere human resource director, Mr Andrew Abunyang, directed all the college principals, directors, deans and heads of department to conduct a head count of all the staff to identify those who abscond for further action.

“All staff who will not have reported for duty by 8am on Wednesday February 6 [yesterday] will be considered to have absconded from duty and their case will be handled in accordance with the applicable laws and policies,” the letter reads in part.

The Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, confirmed to Daily Monitor yesterday that those who abscond face dismissal.

“The only penalty we have in our human resource manual on staff who abscond from work is penalty so the staff know what to do,” Prof Nawangwe said in a telephone interview.

According to the Section 5.79(d) of the Makerere University Human Resource Manual, the power to dismiss an employee shall be vested in the appointing authority on staff who commit both gross misconduct and gross neglect of duty.

Towards the end of last year, Makerere University appointments board sacked 27 out of 45 staff who abscond from work.  https://bit.ly/2Dhxp2J