State, lecturers return to negotiating table as strike enters second week

The government has set up an inter ministerial negotiating committee to address university workers grievances in efforts to end the strike that has now entered the second week.Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said the committee has been directed to ensure the strike is called off by Thursday midday.

Speaking after holding a consultative meeting with the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) leaders, Mutua tasked the committee to come up with a solution to the lecturers’ demands.

“The team will be meeting here from Thursday (today), and I will lock them up until we see white smoke,” Dr Mutua said.

“Before noon we expect something tangible from them so that we can do other things beyond the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). We cannot continue like this,” he added.

Mutua said, the Ministries of Education and Labour officials are burning the midnight oil to ensure the dons end the strike.

"We have discussed with the Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and resolved that the ongoing strike should be called off. This is a big step forward. However, you cannot just return them to work without any commitment, there has to be a roadmap to it,” he said.

The Labour CS revealed that the Thursday meeting will look at the low hanging fruits, challenges and what can be done for now so that teaching and learning can resume in institutions of higher education.

The committee, chaired by Mutua will comprise officials from the Ministries of Labour, Education, National Treasury and Attorney General office, as well as representatives from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and university staff unions.

He said that the committee is expected to come up with a return to work agreement to end the universities workers strike.

Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga however said that the strike will continue until they reach a proper solution.

“Dons across the country maintain that our motto is ‘strike until we strike a deal.’ Once we strike a deal, I will tell you when to resume duty,” he said.

The outcome of Thursday discussions could transform the current discord into a renewed commitment to teaching and learning.

Mutua noted that the officials drawn from the government and unions will have to come up with an agreeable bare minimum required to return to work."These will be a short term solution as negotiations go on, thereafter we are going to set clear timelines on the negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement,” he saidThe development comes after some universities were forced to close as no teaching and learning was going on.Karatina and Rongo Universities have already closed and sent students back home.University students on Monday, led by MultiMedia University Secretary General Renny Osoti, had given the government and unions a 24 hour ultimatum to find a solution to the strike saying they are feeling the strain of losing the academic calendar."The government and the lecturers must come to an agreement so we can begin learning. Our concerns are that no university will extend the semester because of the wasted days,” said Osoti.Mutua said that while the long-term CBAs need to be negotiated, there must be a clear timeline and a return-to-work formula that assures all parties that progress is being made.

“If the government is in a position they can deliver what is asked of the unions, and also the unions, lecturers and universities staff feel that we have been given something to assure us the future is bright,” he said.

Kusu Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya expressed relief at the planned constructive dialogue.

“Indeed, we have been able to find a way to resolve the impasse. There is an urgent need to have a committee that will sit down with us to look into what is possible in the short term to enable work in the universities to resume,” Mukhwaya said.

Mutua acknowledged the complexities of the situation, stating that he will ensure they find a solution.

“There are some rights that have been infringed, and I believe we will strike a deal,” he said.

The CS blamed delayed unions' CBA on government officials who engage them without projecting on the implementation.

Mutua said, in future, his Ministry will authorize ministries to ensure they enter into CBA which can be honored.

“We have to agree to have a fair, balanced and predictable country where CBAs are honored, negotiated and planned accordingly,” he said.

He reiterated that employers have to be frank and agree on what they can manage.

“If there is a chance where you can see that the CBAs cannot be implemented because of the financial constraints, then this must be tackled much earlier so that we can be proactive to stop this problem before they occur,” he said.

The CS admitted that although some of the challenges that are being raised by unions are genuine, it has taken time to resolve them.

“I will write to other Ministries to inform other Cabinet Secretaries that we should not wait for a last minute rush to negotiate CBAs,” he said.