The Union of Academic Staff Associations (UASA) has served a 21-day strike notice on the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, demanding the immediate implementation of reviewed Conditions of Service and a 100% salary increase for academic staff in public tertiary institutions.
In a letter dated 13 August 2026 addressed to the Minister, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, the Union said the decision comes after three years of engagements with government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), the Office of the Chief Minister, and the Wages and Compensation Commission.
UASA Secretary-General Abiodu Williams said all efforts to secure a concrete response have “proven unsuccessful.” The continued delay, the Union stated, is eroding staff morale and “severely affecting the quality of teaching, research, and community service delivery” in the universities.
The key demands are the immediate implementation of the reviewed Conditions of Service for academic staff and government consideration of a 100% salary increase for the same category of staff.
The 21-day notice takes effect from 14 August 2026. Should the government fail to respond within the period, UASA says it will have “no option but to commence a full industrial action beginning 15 September 2026.”
The letter was signed by UASA National President Abdul Karim Koroma, Eastern Technical University–Sierra Leone (ETU-SL) President Dr. Joe Diawo, and Njala University (NU) President Aiah James Sandi.
UASA stressed that it “remains committed to dialogue” and urged the Ministry, working with the Ministry of Finance and the Tertiary Education Commission, to take urgent steps to address the demands within the notice period.
This latest notice follows years of similar engagements and earlier threats of industrial action by academic staff associations over Conditions of Service, salary adjustments, rent allowances, promotions, and related welfare issues. Previous negotiations had led to a 75% salary adjustment paid in tranches, but lecturers have maintained that inflation and other economic pressures have eroded the value of those gains. The move also comes as the Sierra Leone Teachers Union (SLTU) has embarked on a nationwide strike over its own long-standing grievances in the basic and senior secondary education sector.
