Public universities are staring at a crisis from next month with staff threatening to down their tools over the non- implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The workers under the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational, Institutions and Hospital Workers (KUDHEIHA) union have issued a 7-day strike notice to all public universities and colleges.
“The strike is over failure by IPUCCF of the FKE group to negotiate, conclude, register and implement 2021-2025 CBA cycle, coupled with wage discrimination against union-represented staff,” the union’s Secretary General Albert Njeru stated.
“If the management, IPUCCF group of FKE will not have made funds available for the CBA 2021-2025 by the midnight of 9th September, all our members will from 9th September 2024 will have downed their tools without further furtherance,” he added.
According to Njeru, talks with the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) an umbrella body for vice chancellors in public universities, has been futile leaving them no option than to down their tools.
“The parties have exhausted their own voluntary negotiation machineries but the management has failed to comply with the law,” Njeru said.
The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU) had issued a strike notice which lapsed on August 21 to protest salary delays, incomplete payments and concerns over the new funding model.
UASU threatened to halt learning in all public universities starting in September.
The union represents between 10,000 and 12,000 academic staff members across the country.
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UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga announced the industrial action a few days ago following a meeting of the union’s national executive committee which issued a seven-day strike notice, which has now expired.
One of the most contentious issues raised by UASU is the recent action by the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), which reportedly paid its staff only 65% of their July salaries.
It remains unclear on the point of disconnect as the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had on August 9th announced the approval of requests worth Sh32.21 billion for the fourth quarter of the financial year (FY) 2023/2024.
The SRC had received 79 requests totaling Sh52.02 billion from various public institutions during FY 2023/2024 with 11% of the allocation being Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) reviews, 79% for allowances and benefits, 6% for bonus requests, and 4% for salary reviews.
The approval were for CBAs for various unions including the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) for the 2021-2025 cycle.
National Treasury says the country is facing serious cash flow challenges facing the government due to the maturing debts and reduced revenue bases over the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 which has led to delays in cash disbursement.
