This is why Matiang'i has been reluctant to address lecturers strike

juma chrispinus

March 6, 2017 11:52 AM

The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials had vowed to mobilise their members in thousands for massive demonstrations starting Wednesday.

After a dead silence over the ongoing lecturers strike, Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has today morning convened a closed door meeting with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and various university councils and Vice Chancellors, to end the over 30-days running stalemate.

The highly secretive meeting brings together chairpersons of public university councils and Vice Chancellors who will try and find a solution to the dons pay rise demands which could see the highest paid don — a Professor– take home Sh1 million a month, should the 2013-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement signed get a nod.

The universities workers, through the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials had vowed to mobilise their members in thousands for massive demonstrations starting Wednesday this week to agitate for the signing and implementation of their CBA.

The meeting comes barely two days even after the University of Nairobi management, through a memo to its striking lecturers, said that none of its lectures who are on strike would receive their February salaries due to lack of funds. The institution earlier said the students had not paid fees.

Earlier, the UASU’s Secretary General Constantine Wasonga had said that dons would continue with the strike whether or not their salaries are paid. Today’s meeting is however set to resolve the impasse, hinting on the possibility of lecturers resuming classes, latest this week.

Referring to the memo last week by University of Nairobi’s Administrator, Mbeche, Wasonga termed it as a move to intimidate its members to resume work, an attempt he said would fail to yield fruit.

Over 1300 lecturers who are participating in the strike which started January 18 will not receive any penny for they have not been working, Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Administration and Finance Prof Isaac Mbeche told the UoN staff over the weekend.

In mid-January, Lecturers downed their tools countrywide demanding for the negotiation and subsequent implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the 2013-2017 signed between them and the government.

Recent talks mediated by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter Public Universities Consultative Council Forum (IPUCCF), had had no impact on the strike as lecturers vowed to have their strike on until their demands are met.

In their arguments, UASU demanded for a 20 and 30 percent increment on basic salaries and house allowance respectively, terming the government offer of Sh10 billion meager as inadequate as it mean only a 3.2 and 1.6 percent increment on the two.

juma chrispinus