Gov’t forms negotiation team to resolve ongoing university lecturers' strike

An inter-ministerial negotiating team has been established to address the ongoing strike by university lecturers, which has now entered its second week, crippling learning activities across public universities.

This follows a meeting convened by Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on Wednesday with officials from university unions, including University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Constantine Wasonga and Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya, to resolve the situation.

During the meeting, it was agreed that the newly formed committee would focus on key issues raised by the unions and work towards finalising a return-to-work formula.

The team will include representatives from the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Education, the National Treasury, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), public universities, the State Corporations Advisory Committee (SCAC), and both unions.

𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐊𝐄

Today, I held discussions with officials from the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) to address the ongoing strike, which has now entered… pic.twitter.com/W8P3Mmi9fJ

— Dr. Alfred N. Mutua (@DrAlfredMutua) September 25, 2024

In a statement, Mutua emphasised the urgency of addressing the underlying issues that often lead to strikes. He reiterated his ministry’s commitment to ensuring fairness and balance during employer-worker negotiations, highlighting the importance of honouring Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) once signed.

“We must deal with these matters before they fester. We understand the impact this strike has had on students, and I remain hopeful that these negotiations will yield a quick resolution so that normal activities in public universities can resume without further delay,” he said.

The inter-ministerial committee is set to commence discussions on Thursday, with the goal of reaching an agreement.

Also present at the meeting were Principal Secretary of the State Department of Labour Shadrack Mwadime and other senior government officials.

The unions are advocating for resolutions on salary increments and allowances, along with the potential for further negotiations on additional matters outlined in the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the government.

The unions' leaders also expressed concerns about delayed and insufficient pay for members, non-remittance of statutory deductions and the State's failure to provide comprehensive health coverage.