A two-week strike that had disrupted learning in public universities across the country has been called off following successful negotiations led by Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua.
The strike involved university lecturers, non-teaching staff, and various workers’ unions, and it concluded after a day-long meeting at the Ministry of Labour headquarters, providing much-needed relief to thousands of students and staff on Thursday.
The agreement was reached between the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), and three major unions: the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA).
The negotiations included representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Treasury, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), and the Ministry of Labour.
As part of the return-to-work formula signed with UASU, it was agreed that the strike would be lifted immediately, with guarantees against victimization for union members. Universities will now implement an enhanced monthly basic salary with increments ranging from 7% to 10%.
Additionally, there will be an automatic annual increment of 4% of the basic salary for the two-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle, which runs from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025. The retirement age for all academic staff, including graduate assistants, tutorial fellows, and assistant lecturers, will be standardized at 70 years.
KUSU members will also see a similar salary increase of between 7% and 10%. Non-academic staff, including those working in teaching laboratories and university libraries, will have their retirement age standardized at 65 years.
In the agreement reached with KUDHEIHA, university workers represented by the union will receive a 10% pay increase, marking a significant win for its members.
Mutua emphasized that his ministry would implement mechanisms to address disputes before they escalate into strikes. “We will work to ensure that strikes are nipped in the bud and that issues raised by employees are addressed in a timely and effective manner,” he stated.
An inter-ministerial committee is set to convene for one month starting October 1, 2024, to address outstanding issues. These include the harmonization of allowances, medical cover, internal CBAs, increased staffing in public universities, and budgets for promotions, car loans, and mortgage schemes.
