Reward policy as distributive justice: The case of primary school teachers in Uganda

Abstract

This study focused on the effect of reward policy on distributive justice. Primary school teachers from 2009 expected to be rewarded with just salaries. When these were not forthcoming, teachers went on strike between 2009 and 2015. The analysis revealed that reward policy and teachers’ union leadership (r (246) =.290, p<0.01) were closely associated; that teachers’ union leadership advocated distributive justice (r (246) =.464, p<0.01). Using a hypothetical model, the total causal effect of reward policy on distributive justice was found to be 70%. Although salaries were raised in the 2013/2014 financial year, teachers were not satisfied. They continued demanding increment of 10% in the 2015/2016 financial year. This study therefore recommends that to supplement a reward policy that promotes distributive justice, the government should also adopt non-financial rewards. This is beneficial because when simulation was applied, it emerged that non-financial rewards would increase teachers’ perception of distributive justice by 17%.