Uasu top organ says ongoing lecturers’ strike to continue

Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga who is among top union officials who met in Nairobi on March 18, 2018 and declared that the ongoing strike would go on. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • About 27,000 university staff among 9,000 lecturers have been on strike since March 1.
  • They are demanding that the government tables a counter –offer for the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
  • The strike has paralysed learning in all public universities.

The top decision making organ of the lecturers’ union Uasu has declared that the ongoing strike is still on.

At the same time, the union has said it will appeal a Friday labour court ruling that declared the strike unprotected.

The national executive committee drawn from 31 universities announced this Sunday during a meeting in Nairobi.

Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the ruling declaring the strike unprotected was unfair to lecturers.

About 27,000 university staff among 9,000 lecturers have been on strike since March 1 demanding that the government tables a counter –offer for the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

LEARNING PARALYSED

The strike has paralysed learning in all public universities.

Already, the Inter-Public Universities Councils’ Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) has warned that those on strike will not be paid their salaries for days not worked.

The forum chairman Paul Kanyari told the National Assembly Education Committee chaired by Malulu Injendi (Malava) that universities will not be comfortable paying the striking staff.

“They have boycotted work yet they still want to be paid,” said Prof Kanyari who lamented that it is unfair for lecturers to strike in order to force negotiations.

Prof Kanyari criticised the lecturers for the job boycott saying they were in a hurry to down tools.

“We asked for time to allow new executives familiarise with the Ministry but they were unwilling to give us the time,” said Prof Kanyari who is also the chairman of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

Vice-chancellors Committee Chairman Francis Aduol said the issue of pay for work not done will be dealt with during the signing of a return-to-work formula.

“We will raise the issue when we sign return-to-work formula,” he said, signalling that lecturers will likely miss their salaries for days they will not have worked.

The lecturers are demanding a counter-offer from the government.

Their employer – the universities – have indicated that they have proposed Sh6.8 billion subject to approval by the Ministry of Education.

However, the ministry has insisted that it will only table an offer after an audit of payroll data.