Uasu officials.[Photo/nation]

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The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Inter-Public Universities Consultative Council Forum (IPUCCF) are meant to resume talks on the 2017-2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement on Wednesday before the January 31 deadline.

The two parties began the deliberations on Friday after the meetings scheduled to take place earlier in the month were postponed by IPUCCF Chairperson, Prof Isaac Mbeche.

According to a return to work formula arrived at on December 9 when UASU called off a month-long strike over the non-implementation of a Sh10 billion 2013-2017 CBA inked on March 13 following a 54-day work boycott deliberation sin regards to the new CBA were to begin by December 18.

Public universities were to end their internal CBAs for the 2013-2017 phase by February 28.

In a statement following the resumption of talks on Friday, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said an agreement had been reached to have the 2017-2022 CBA completed in time to avoid industrial disharmony.

The effective date for the commencement of the new CBS was July 1, 2017.

Wasonga stated that the effective date for the commencement of the new CBS was July 1, 2017 and he also said that  UASU will seek the settlement of pension arrears from past CBAs.

According to Wasonga, Sh1.56 billion and Sh2 billion is yet to be dispatched  for the 2010-2013 and 2013-2017 CBAs respectively.

UASU is also objected to a plan to engage assistant lecturers on a contractual basis.

The union is also gearing towards the implementation of doctors’ allowances for lecturers in medical schools in accordance with a CBA signed between the government and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) in 2017