[University of Nairobi students engage police in running battles during a recent strike. The students are set to be affected with latest strike threate.] (Photo/zipo.co.ke)
University lecturers have issued a 21-day strike notice yet again, which will be a worry for many of the students.
Constantine Wasonga, secretary general of the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), has said the strike is set to kick off on October 31.
This was disclosed in a letter to all the university council chairperson, further indicating that their call was as a result of failure to implement basic salary and house allowance, as agreed by the unions.
“We will protest the blatant violation of the university workers fundamental rights and freedoms under Article 41 and Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Kenya,” reads the letter.
According to the Wesonga, the unions negotiated a Sh10 billion salary increment, which was partially honoured by the Government, but the university administrations have not implemented the famous 2013-2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Now Uasu has threatened to paralyze learning until the deal is fully implemented.
In the proposed CBA, the lowest paid assistant lecturer who currently earns Sh69,794 would move up to Sh82,037, while the highest paid assistant lecturer currently earning Sh99,642 is expected to earn Sh117,121.
In the current bracket, the lowest paid lecturer earns Sh83,361 per month, which will subsequently rise to Sh97,984 in the new CBA.