Lecturers are threatening to strike again next Wednesday. They say the government has failed to honor a Return to Work Formula (RTWF) signed in September.
The RTWF, established on September 26, promised salary increases of seven to ten percent. These increments were to take effect in October. The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and Kenya Universities Staff Union participated in the agreement.
Negotiations were brokered by the Ministry of Labour. This deal led the unions to call off an earlier strike. The agreed pay hike was for the remainder of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). It was scheduled to start on July 1, 2023.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, Uasu Secretary General Constantine Wasonga expressed frustration. “The government has backtracked on the deal,” he said. “They have not paid our basic salaries or incorporated the salary hikes.”
He emphasized the union’s readiness to act. “Let the public know we will not shy away from another strike next week. I invite the media to be here next Wednesday.”
Wasonga set a deadline. “If they do not implement this CBA by midnight Tuesday, I will be here,” he stated firmly.
The unions initially struck on September 11. A mediated agreement led to the RTWF on September 26. Wasonga warned union members to prepare for a prolonged strike. “They will only return once the money is in their accounts,” he cautioned.
Negotiations for the 2021-2025 CBA have dragged on since September 2020. Following the September agreement, pay for assistant lecturers was set between Sh107,872 and Sh166,072. Professors would earn between Sh224,631 and Sh345,816.
Minimum pay for graduate assistants ranged from Sh63,647 to Sh97,988. “By next Tuesday, universities should provide new payslips reflecting the 7-10 percent increase,” Wasonga declared.
