Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) on Friday issued a seven day strike notice to demand for the release of lecturers’ full salaries by their respective universities and the full implementation of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
In a press briefing, Uasu Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said university lecturers will not continue to tolerate the excuses being given by universities and demanded a release of the monies immediately.
“Uasu issues a seven days’ notice, the reason why we are giving the strike notice is because the Inter Public Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and the government have disobeyed orders of court to release full salaries,” said Dr Wasonga.
Those expected to join the strike include, professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, lecturers, assistant lecturers, tutorial fellows and graduate assistants.
They are accusing the universities of withholding part of their salaries and paying them way below the negotiated salaries.
The Employment and Labour relations court on January 15, 2021 ordered the CBA to be fully implemented except for the clause on retirement age.
Initially, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission had indicated that the total cost of the CBA is Sh8.8 Billion.
Dr Wasonga said to date the Inter Public Universities Council Consultative Forum has not implemented the CBA as ordered by the court.
“Today issue a seven days strike and we expect all dons to down their tools,” said Dr Wasonga.
He was accompanied by members of the national executive committee who he said have all voted to call for a nationwide strike to force universities to release the salaries.
Dr Wasonga said, the lecturers will not continue being slaves any more.
He also revealed that the Chair of Vice Chancellors Committee Prof Geoffrey Muluvi had informed them a week ago that universities do not have the money to pay salaries.
“If they don’t have money, let them resign from those positions forthwith, it is not the responsibility for Uasu to source for funds to honour management and government obligations, our duty is to negotiate CBA,” said Dr Wasonga.
Dr Wasonga said even the Sh8.8 billion that the SRC and IPUCCF had indicated has not been released to lecturers
Uasu Chairman Dr Grace Nyongesa said universities administrations have deliberately ignored a court order directing them to pay the salaries in full and have continued to implement the CBA discriminatively.
“We will not take this lying down, we will continue to press for the rights of dons in this country, we are the ones who are training the technocrats in this country and we cannot continue being treated with a lot of contempt that when the Uasu chapter secretaries raise concerns they are threatened,” said Dr Nyongesa
