The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials on Thursday issued a notice to the government that they will call for a strike of all public universities staff should the government fail to honour the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of 28th October 2019 within seven days.
Speaking at UASU offices, the Secretary General of the Union, Dr. Constantine Wasonga affirmed that he is going to give a seven days strike notice on Monday 13, January 2020 for the government to honour the CBA.
He warned that no classes will take place in public universities starting from January 20, 2020 until the government honours the 2019 CBA.
“The union does not just threaten to go on strike. We shall strike,” he added.
Dr. Wasonga explained that the parties involved in signing of the CBA, including the Inter- Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) agreed that it was to be implemented on or before 30th November 2019 but the union confirms that they have not received anything to date.
“We are being taken through circles and we see the government is playing games with us,” said Dr. Wasonga.
Dr. Wasonga said that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) confirmed that the CBA had been forwarded to them and signed on December 20, 2019 and that IPUCCF forwarded it to the Ministry of Labour last week.
“We are still wondering why the Ministry of Labour has not made the necessary implementations despite the involved parties playing their parts,” added the Secretary General.
According to the Dr. Wasonga, a calculation done by the union with the help of IPUCCF showed that the amount that should be availed for the public universities’ workers is Sh.13.8 billion. This contradicts the figure given by the SRC which amounted to Kshs.8.8 billion.
“We accepted to take the Sh8.8 billion as we wait for the remaining amount since we understand the economic state of the country,” said the UASU Chairman, Muga K’olale.
However, K’olale said that the ministry of education announced last week that even the Sh8.8 billion had not been budgeted for.
“The Ministry of Education requested Vice Chancellors on 2nd January 2020 to register for the release of funds by the National Treasury and there is no way they would make the request of something they had not budgeted for,” added K’olale.
“We never intended to do this but the government has instigated it,” said the Chairman.
By John Kinyua/Joseph Ng’ang’a
