Lecturers at public universities have issued a fresh strike notice, threatening to paralyze learning once again, citing the government’s failure to fulfill its promises. The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) expressed their frustration over the government’s lack of progress in negotiating, concluding, registering, and implementing the 2021-2025 National Collective Bargaining Agreement.
According to them, this is a violation of the law and the Recognition Agreement executed on October 28, 2019, between UASU and the Inter-Public Universities’ Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF). They also criticized the government for failing to implement Collective Bargaining Agreements for the cycles 2013-2017 and 2021-2025 across all public universities and constituent colleges.
Additional grievances include the government’s failure to implement the return-to-work formula signed on September 26, 2024, by the unions, IPUCCF, and the Ministries of Labour, Social Protection, and Education. UASU Secretary General Dr. Constantine Wasonga expressed the unions’ feelings of betrayal:
“We met the Inter-Ministerial Committee today. We have totally disagreed on the implementation of the return-to-work arrangement signed on September 26, 2024.”
As a result, Dr. Wasonga announced a seven-day ultimatum, with a strike set to commence on October 29.
“Therefore, the Universities’ Academic Staff Union hereby issues a seven-day strike notice with effect from the date of this letter to the above Councils of Public Universities and Constituent Colleges,” stated Dr. Wasonga.
In a letter addressed to the vice chancellors of all public universities and the principals of constituent colleges, Dr. Wasonga emphasized that the lecturers will not resume their job boycott if their demands are not met.
“Our members in all public universities and constituent colleges shall withdraw their labour and shall not resume duty until the issues raised in the strike notice are addressed,” he added.
The letter was also copied to Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba and Dr. Alfred Mutua, the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection. Additionally, it was sent to Koceyo and Company Advocates and all UASU chapter secretaries.
Dr. Wasonga explained that the decision to strike came after all meetings with government agencies ended in failure. He expressed that the lecturers feel cheated due to the government’s failure to honor their agreement.
“Whereas the unions wanted the return-to-work formula implemented as it was signed and simulated by the Technical Committee at Machakos University from September 30 to October 4, 2024, the government introduced a global figure of Sh4.3 billion that is not on the return-to-work formula to cover the two years,” he stated.
According to union officials, they called off the strike after signing an agreement in September that ended a two weeks’ strike.
The employer agreed to pay the basic monthly salary and incorporate an increment of between seven to 10 percent in October salaries.
However, Dr Wasonga said the government has failed to operationalise and implement the CBA.
“Our members expected the new salaries this week. We’re not going to shy away from calling another strike. Implement a return to work formula or we are back to the streets. We’re giving the government only one week before we return to the streets,” said Dr Wasonga.
The failure by the government, the union said, is not only causing unnecessary tension and anxiety in the universities but also threatening to disrupt industrial peace.
This came only three weeks later after they had 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.
When the lecturers agreed to call off their initial strike, the government agreed to fast-track total operationalisation of the return to work formula.
In the arrangement as per the 2021-2025 CBA, the minimum pay for graduate assistants should be between Sh63,647 and Sh97,988. For assistant lecturers, it ranges between Sh107,872 and Sh166,072. Professors are to earn a monthly salary of between Sh 224, 631 and Sh345,816.
