Looming crisis as university staff threaten to strike again

Dr Constantine Wasonga, UASU national secretary general speaking during a press conference in Nairobi on 24th April 2023. [Denis Kibuchi, Standard] University staff have threatened to stage another strike to demand the release of a Sh2.4 billion salary deal signed last month. The unions said on Tuesday that the government has failed to honour any of the agreements they made to call off the previous strike. University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Secretary General Constantine Wasonga called on the government to implement the return-to-work formula agreed on September 26, or they will resume protests. "We are giving the government one week to review the salaries in line with the pay increase outlined in the return-to-work formula. If the pay rise is not implemented by next Tuesday, October 22, we will not hesitate to return to the streets," Wasonga stated. The deal covers the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the 2021-2025 period, effective from July 1, 2023. On Tuesday, The Standard reported that lecturers at public universities are set to receive a salary increase ranging from Sh6,000 for the lowest-paid academic staff, known as graduate assistants, to Sh63,000 for full professors. Professors will be the primary beneficiaries of the pay rise, with an increase ranging from Sh14,939 to Sh62,729. These details were derived from simulations compiled last week following a joint meeting between the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and the unions. The report indicated that the salary increase would be backdated by 16 months, starting from 1 July 2023. If the government honours the unions' demand to fully implement the CBA, a full professor will take home a cumulative payment of Sh910,383 by the end of this month. The lowest-paid academic staff, graduate assistants, will receive Sh116,909 for the 16-month period. Overall, graduate assistants, who currently earn Sh57,729, will see their salaries rise to between Sh63,647 and Sh97,988. Assistant lecturers, currently earning Sh97,842, will see an increase to between Sh107,872 and Sh166,072. Lecturers, who currently earn Sh110,591, will have their salaries raised to between Sh121,928 and Sh187,710. Senior lecturers, currently earning Sh144,450, will now earn between Sh154,749 and Sh238,221. Associate professors earning Sh180,337 will see their salaries increase to between Sh193,182 and Sh297,403. Professors, the highest-ranking academicians currently earning Sh209,694, will now earn between Sh224,631 and Sh345,816. Wasonga noted that despite paying September salaries, no university has honoured the new salary scales. The unions argue that failing to implement the CBA has created tension and anxiety among university staff, threatening industrial peace. Wasonga expressed concern that the government may not fulfil its promises. "We will not accept empty promises. We don't care how long it takes, but as long as our members' concerns are not addressed, we will not back down. We need something tangible," Wasonga added. Other benefits workers were expected to gain included a uniform commuter allowance, harmonised book allowances, enhanced house allowances, harmonised annual leave allowances, a comprehensive medical scheme across all public universities, internal CBAs, improved staffing in universities and their constituent colleges, and budgets for promotions, cars, and mortgages.

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