MPs to meet union officials in bid to end lecturers’ strike

 

The Parliamentary Education Committee will hold sittings this morning in an effort to resolve the ongoing lecturers’ strike that began last week.

The National Assembly’s Departmental Committee will meet at 10 a.m. with the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter-Public University Consultative Forum to discuss the issue.

Lecturers in all public universities downed their tools on October 29, protesting the government’s failure to implement agreed-upon salary increases.

Under the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), lecturers were promised a salary increment of between 7% and 10%, but the government has delayed the implementation due to a miscalculation of the percentages.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos while appearing before the Senate last week pointed out discrepancies between their figures and what was provided by the union.

“The challenge between us (the government) and UASU regarding the return-to-work formula for lecturers is that we agreed on a 7% and 10% increment, but the figure that the government has, compared to what UASU has, differs by about Ksh 5 billion,” CS Migos explained.

Although the Education Ministry is facing a budget deficit, the CS assured that the issue would be resolved.

Despite a court order, the lecturers have vowed to continue their industrial action until the CBA is fully implemented. The Employment and Labour Court has declared the strike illegal and directed both the government and UASU to expedite negotiations pending a full hearing.

Lady Justice Agnes Nzei issued an order on Tuesday, instructing UASU not to incite or call upon union members to continue participating in the unprotected strike.

The respondents were given 14 days to file and serve a response to the notice of motion dated October 24, 2024, with a mention set for November 28.

Last month, public university lecturers and staff called off their nationwide go-slow after reaching a return-to-work agreement with the government that would provide salary increments ranging from 7% to 10%, facilitated through the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

Beyond salary increments, the lecturers are also demanding health insurance, which they claim has not been provided despite promises made during the CBA negotiations.

By Margaret Kalekye