University lecturers issue seven-day strike notice over unresolved salary disputes with government

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a fresh seven-day strike notice following a breakdown in negotiations with the government regarding the implementation of the return-to-work formula.

In a letter to the councils of 35 public universities and three constituent colleges, UASU secretary-general Constantine Wasonga announced that the strike notice will take effect from October 22, 2024.

He pointed to the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) for failing to negotiate and finalise the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for the periods 2013-2017, 2017-2021, and 2021-2025.

“We met the inter-ministerial committee today. We have disagreed on the implementation of the return-to-work formula signed on September 26 2024. Whereas the unions want the RTWF implemented as was signed and simulated by the technical committee, the government introduced a global figure of Sh4.3B that is not on the RTWF to cover the two years. Therefore, I have formally issued a 7-day (s) strike notice," Wasonga said.

Wasonga announced the decision during a press briefing on Tuesday, which followed a National Executive Committee meeting. He highlighted that the union’s concerns surrounding salaries and working conditions remain unresolved.

The strike notice comes after university staff unions, including UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), had given the government a one-week ultimatum that expired today, October 22, 2024.

They demanded salary increases, warning that failure to meet their demands would lead to a nationwide strike. The unions accuse the government of not adhering to the return-to-work agreement signed on September 26, 2024, which was intended to address long-standing pay grievances.

“Implement the return-to-work formula or we go back to the streets,” Wasonga had stated, urging union members to prepare for action.

“Start jogging, the streets are calling,” he added.

According to the unions, the government had committed to raising the basic monthly salary of university staff by seven to 10 per cent in their October salaries as part of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

This increment was supposed to be implemented over two years, starting from July 1, 2023. However, Wasonga expressed frustration over the government's inaction.

“Our members expect the new salaries next week. We’re not going to shy away from calling another strike. Don't try us. If the CBA is not honoured by Tuesday, we will be on the streets,” he warned, advising universities not to process salaries without the agreed increments.

The unions claim that the failure to implement the CBA has caused tension and anxiety among university staff, threatening industrial peace.

They previously suspended a planned strike after reaching an agreement with the government in September, which included commitments to expedite the return-to-work formula and adjust salaries for various ranks of university staff.

The CBA stipulated salary ranges for university staff, including graduate assistants earning between Sh63,647 and Sh97,988, assistant lecturers between Sh107,872 and Sh166,072, and professors a minimum of Sh224,631 to a maximum of Sh345,816.

Despite the prior agreement, the unions now contend that the government has failed to fulfil its commitments.

“We don’t eat promises or promissory notes. If it takes years, we don’t care, as long as our members’ concerns aren't taken care of. We want something tangible,” Wasonga said.

Earlier this year, UASU issued a strike notice on September 11, prompting Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to convene a meeting on September 16.

However, those talks ended without a resolution. In response to the two-week strike that followed, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua formed an inter-ministerial negotiating team to address the unions' key issues. This committee included representatives from various ministries, public universities, and the unions.

Nevertheless, the unions are now poised to resume industrial action unless the government honours the 2021-2025 CBA, which they have been advocating for since submitting their proposals in 2020.