Sierra Leone Government Seeks Dialogue as UASA Strike Notice Raises Tensions

The Government of Sierra Leone has called for continued dialogue with the Union of Academic Staff Associations of public tertiary institutions as negotiations over salaries and conditions of service remain unresolved.

The appeal followed an engagement held on 17 September 2026 by the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education with chancellors, vice chancellors, principals, registrars and other senior officials of public tertiary institutions. Representatives of government, labour and compensation authorities also attended the meeting.

Discussions covered the progress of negotiations with UASA, the union’s salary demands and conditions-of-service proposals, and the implications of its announced industrial action. The source does not state whether the industrial action proceeded.

Salary assessment submitted to Finance Ministry

Jeremiah B. Ademokula, Director of Compensation at the Wages and Compensation Commission, said the commission had completed a technical assessment of UASA’s salary demands. He said the assessment was submitted to the Ministry of Finance on 11 September 2026 for consideration.

Ademokula said the Government currently covers about 83 percent of salary payments for university staff, while universities account for the remaining 17 percent. He identified a joint engagement involving the Ministry of Finance, the Wages and Compensation Commission, the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education and UASA as the next stage in determining the way forward.

According to the background provided for the engagement, UASA’s conditions-of-service proposals were referred to the respective university councils for consideration and harmonisation. The salary component was referred to the Wages and Compensation Commission, which the Ministry said has the mandate to negotiate salaries.

Officials urge established negotiation process

Lansana M. Dumbuya, Deputy Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, urged the parties to continue using social dialogue and established negotiation mechanisms while talks remain ongoing.

Dumbuya explained that salary negotiations fall under the responsibility of the Wages and Compensation Commission, while the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security is responsible for labour administration, oversight and mediation.

Marx Conteh, Secretary of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress, acknowledged growing demand among workers for improved wages. The labour body said continued negotiations could help address concerns and prevent further disruption in the tertiary education sector.

Minister raises due-process concerns

Dr. Ramatulai Wurie, Minister of Technical and Higher Education, said UASA submitted proposals on salary increases and conditions of service in June 2026. She said the union initially proposed a 500 percent salary increase before revising the demand to 100 percent.

Wurie said the Government was assessing the revised proposal against available fiscal resources and relevant benchmarks. She also explained that although university lecturers are employed by their respective university councils, the Government has paid the majority of their salaries since 2018/2019.

The minister said UASA announced industrial action while negotiations were still underway. She raised concerns about adherence to due process and referred to Section 64(3) of the Industrial Relations and Trade Union Act 2023.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, dialogue and the rule of law in addressing the outstanding issues. Sarjoh Aziz Kamara, Deputy Minister of Higher and Technical Education, said the engagement would also consider measures to ensure the continued operation of tertiary institutions.

The outcome of the proposed joint engagement, the Ministry of Finance’s consideration of the assessment and the university councils’ review of the conditions-of-service proposals have not been reported.