University Academic staff Union issues a seven-day strike notice.
The University Workers’ Union (Uasu) issued a seven-day strike on Friday demanding the release of all faculty and university salaries and the full implementation of the 2017-2021 collective agreement (CBA).
At a press conference, Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga said university professors would not continue to tolerate exemptions from universities and demanded immediate funding.
“Uasu is issuing a seven-day notice, the reason we are reporting the strike is because the Advisory Forum of the Public Universities Cooperation Council (IPUCCF) and the government have violated the court’s order for full pay.” Said Dr. Wasonga.
Those expected to join the strike include professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, senior lecturers, senior lecturers, fellow lecturers and graduate assistants.
They accuse universities of withholding part of their salaries and paying them well below negotiated salaries.
Sh13.812 billion
The Labor and Labor Relations Court ordered on January 15, 2021 the full application of the collective agreement except the provision for retirement age.
The court ruled that ABC’s cost was 13.812 billion shillings excluding pension debt.
Earlier, the Salaries and Compensation Commission indicated that the total cost of ABC was 8.8 billion shillings.
Dr. Wasonga said that so far, the Advisory Forum of the Council for the Cooperation of Public Universities has not implemented the CBA as ordered by the court.
“Today, start a seven-day strike and we expect all donors to reduce their tools,” Dr Wasonga said.
He was accompanied by members of the national executive committee who said they all voted to call a national strike to force universities to pay their salaries.
Dr Wasonga said lecturers would no longer be slaves.
He also revealed that the chairman of the vice-chancellor’s committee, Professor Geoffrey Muluvi, told them a week ago that universities had no money to pay salaries.
“If they do not have the money, let them resign from these positions immediately, it is not for Uasu to raise money to respect the responsibilities of the leadership and the government, our responsibility is to discuss the ABC,” Dr Wasonga said.
Dr Wasonga said even the 8.8 billion shillings that SRC and IPUCCF quoted were not handed over to the speaker
Uasu President Dr Grace Nyongesa said university officials deliberately ignored a court order that ordered them to pay full salaries and continued to use the CBA in a discriminatory manner.
“We will not watch silently being mistreated , we teach and equip technicians in this country and we will not continue to be despised until Uasu writers fear the threat,” said Dr Nyongesa.’
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