Learning in universities paralysed as lecturers' strike begins nationwide
By Barack Oduor |
According to UASU Secretary General Constance Wasonga, the strike had to commence after they failed to reach an agreement with the government.
Learning in all public universities nationwide was paralysed on Tuesday morning after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) officially announced its strike.
According to UASU Secretary General Constance Wasonga, the strike had to commence after they failed to reach an agreement with the government.
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''I want to tell UASU members wherever they are to down their tools because the government has failed to listen to us,'' Wasonga said.
The lecturers are demanding several actions from the government, including an automated annual increment of four per cent.
"We did not fail in terms of expressing good faith because we suspended our strike initially to listen to the government. It seems they are not honest," said Wasonga.
"If you have given a member 7 per cent it will show, we are not dealing with illiterate people who don't know how to calculate 7 and 4 per cent so you cannot cheat them. You want UASU officials to be part of that manipulation. We will not do that,'' he said.
Wasonga disclosed that they had been engaging the government to sign a return to work formula and the last attempt to reach an agreement failed during a meeting held on September 26.
This came despite recent government attempts to convince the dons to return to class with a promise of advancing the negotiations to a ministerial level.
On September 25, Cabinet Secretary for Labour Alfred Mutua announced that he had escalated the negotiations to include representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Education as well as those from the Treasury to help the two sides reach a deal.
The unions, including UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), faulted the government, accusing it of negligence despite initially promising to fulfil their demands.
Learning at higher institutions is now paralysed due to the strike, coming just weeks after a similar strike was suspended when staff unions agreed to enter negotiations with the government.
The union officials urged the government not to scare them with the possibility of having them sacked. "Don't scare us with sacking. We can teach anywhere in the world," said Wasonga.
"We are negotiating with vice-chancellors who are very selfish and do not want to understand our plight."
Wasonga was accompanied by several officials of the union including Mary Goretty who is the Technical University of Kenya Chapter Secretary.
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