Learning in all public universities is expected to resume tomorrow after the Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU) called off the strike following the signing of the return to work formula and the release of the remaining Sh5.22 billion as per the 2013-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
UASU Secretary general Constantine Wesonga made the announcement after signing the deal that the National Treasury commits to have the remaining cash disbursed by the end of this month.
“Today, the Universities’ Academic Staff Union has received a written Authority to Incur Expenditure granted by the national Treasury of the republic of Kenya legally undertaking to release within July Sh5.225 billion to pay all staff of the public universities to cover 2013-2017 CBA. With such an undertaking we therefore call off the strike. The strike is over.” Wesonga said.
UASU, Inter-Public Universities Council Consultative Forum and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) instructed all their members to report to work immediately.
The union also said the government through Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has expressed commitment to conclude negotiations on the 2017-2021 CBA.
Also, UASU successfully signed a return to work formula that protects academic staff and union officials from any form of victimization for having participated in the industrial action.
However, the union petitioned the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to convene a stakeholders meeting over pending job evaluation process in order to have an all participatory process.
They accused the commission of being inclined to degraded university professors to lower job cadres.
“We have information that SRC may release defective job evaluation in which full professor is downgraded at E2. If our nation’s highest level of human resource, from whom knowledge flows to the rest of the citizens would be thus lowly regarded, it would be a sad commentary indeed of where our beloved country places the pinnacle of knowledge.” Wesonga added.
The deal was signed yesterday after UASU and Vice Chancellors Committee held whole day talks on Monday at Jacaranda hotel.
People Daily established that UASU was given condition to call off the strike with assurance the money will be paid effective this month or risk having their July withheld and public universities closed until after next month’s presidential polls.
At least 500,000 university students have for the last three months been forced to stay away from classes over the lecturers strike.
The government had already released Sh4.8billion to the university lecturers and workers but they rejected and engaged in a three weeks industrial action demanding full implementation of the Sh10billion CBA deal in full.
