UASA says negotiations cannot be undermined by legal threats, as government questions the union’s authority to organise industrial action
The Union of Academic Staff Associations (UASA) in Sierra Leone has called on the government to make a concrete salary offer, while defending the negotiating process amid a growing dispute over lecturers’ pay, working conditions and the legality of industrial action.
In a statement issued on 10 October 2026, the union said the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) had yet to formally present a counteroffer to its demand for a 100% salary increase.
The dispute has heightened tensions between the government and academic staff at public tertiary institutions, with the ministry questioning UASA’s legal authority to organise a strike and urging lecturers to return to work.
The government says salary negotiations were already under way when the strike began on 16 September. It has also cited previous salary increases as evidence of efforts to improve academic staff welfare, reporting cumulative increases of approximately 87.5% through three phased adjustments, followed by a further 15% increase effective April 2025.
UASA disputes the government’s presentation of earlier pay adjustments. It says a previous 75% increase was secured through negotiations led by the union under Dr Williette James, following years of salary stagnation.
The union argues that its current demand follows approximately five years without a new negotiated salary settlement and that rising living costs have eroded lecturers’ purchasing power.
“Meetings, statements of goodwill and repeated assurances cannot substitute for concrete proposals,” UASA said.
It wants the government to present a written offer specifying the proposed salary increase and a practical timetable for implementation.
But the disagreement now extends beyond the amount of any pay rise. The ministry has questioned whether UASA’s registration as a corporate entity with the National Investment Board gives it the legal status and authority required to conduct collective bargaining and organise industrial action.
The government has cited the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act, 2024, arguing that the union must meet statutory registration and collective bargaining requirements. It has also challenged the legality of the strike, maintaining that negotiations were in progress when lecturers stopped work.
The legislation sets out requirements governing trade-union registration, collective bargaining certificates and industrial action, including provisions relating to strike notices and restrictions on strikes while negotiations or mediation remain in progress.
However, the government’s allegations raise separate questions: whether UASA is properly registered and authorised to bargain on behalf of academic staff, and whether the strike complied with the applicable legal requirements. Neither question can be conclusively resolved by the ministry’s statements alone; the union’s registration documents, bargaining certificate and records of the negotiations would be central to assessing the dispute.
UASA has responded by defending the need for a credible negotiating framework in which both parties engage in good faith, respect their respective roles and avoid actions or statements that could prejudice the process.
The union argues that the impasse should be an opportunity to strengthen industrial relations in the tertiary education sector, rather than a reason to question the legitimacy of the process through which a settlement is expected to be reached.
It maintains that a sustainable resolution remains possible if the government and academic staff representatives approach the outstanding issues with sincerity, mutual respect and a willingness to make concrete proposals.
UASA has called on the ministry to demonstrate its commitment to negotiations by presenting a formal salary offer and a clear implementation framework.
The union says its objective is not confrontation, but a fair and sustainable settlement that safeguards the welfare, dignity and professional interests of academic staff while supporting industrial harmony and the development of higher education in Sierra Leone.
The ministry, meanwhile, has urged lecturers to resume their duties ahead of the planned reopening of universities on 12 October, maintaining that dialogue remains the preferred route to resolving the dispute.
The two sides have yet to publicly establish a common position on the proposed salary increase or the legal questions surrounding the strike.
The ministry’s response to UASA’s latest statement, including its call to preserve a credible negotiating framework, was not independently established for this report.
The dispute leaves the future of salary negotiations and the continuity of academic activities at public tertiary institutions uncertain as both sides face pressure to find a settlement.
