Public university lecturers and staffers under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) have issued a fresh strike notice.
UASU and KUSU workers’ unions on October 15 issued a fresh strike notice over the government’s failure to honor the return-to-work formula signed on September 26.
The Public University Workers’ Unions have threatened that the job boycott will resume in 7 days, saying that the government’s failure to honor their end of the bargain leaves them feeling cheated.
“Implement return-to-work formula or we go back to the streets. We’re giving the government only one week [before we return to the streets,” said UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga.
He further asked their members “to start jogging [for] the streets are calling.”
This comes barely three weeks after the public university lecturers and staffers called off their nationwide go-slow after striking a return-to-work formula with the government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection in September.
The lecturers had downed their tools on September 18, citing delays in finalizing the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the government.
Following the strike, an inter-ministerial committee was subsequently formed to address the stalemate.
Labour Cabinet Secretary Dr Alfred Mutua made the announcement in a statement highlighting that the truce was struck after a long meeting with various labour unions and entities, including UASU, at his ministry’s headquarters.
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University lecturers and staffers call off strike
Officials from the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), KUSU, the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) were also in attendance.
“The two-week strike disrupting learning in public universities across the country has been called off following successful negotiations,” said Mutua.
“As part of the return-to-work formula signed with UASU, the strike has been called off immediately, with no risk of victimization for union members.”
Mutua further noted that universities would now implement an enhanced monthly basic salary, with increments ranging from 7% to 10%.
Additionally, the CS said that an automatic annual increment of 4% of the basic salary will be implemented for the duration of the CBA cycle, running from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025.
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The deal also led to the harmonization of the retirement age for academic staff, including graduate assistants, tutorial fellows, and assistant lecturers, at 70 years.
“For KUSU members, the same salary increment of 7 percent to 10 percent has been agreed upon, with the retirement age for non-academic staff, including those in teaching labs and university libraries, standardized at 65 years,” said CS Mutua.
“In the agreement with KUDHEIHA, workers represented in universities will receive a 10 percent pay increase, marking a significant victory for their members.”
While assuring the labour unions and entities that his ministry will set up mechanisms to address university staff grievances before they escalate into industrial action, Mutua announced the formation of an inter-ministerial committee to address unresolved issues.
The committee was set to convene for a month effective October 1, 2024.
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