Unions representing employees of public universities have given the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) a one-week ultimatum to give counter proposals to the union failure to which the workers will withdraw their labour.
Speaking Friday in Nairobi, Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) representatives said the government should facilitate university councils to immediately embark on urgent negotiations of the 2013-2017 CBA with the unions.
“These negotiations should be concluded on or before January 10, 2017 with a view of being accommodated in budgetary estimations for the financial year 2017/2018,” said KUSU secretary general, Charles Mukhwaya.
Constantine Wasonga, Uasu Secretary General said university staff are underpaid and overworked with adverse effects on quality and standards of education accusing the government of selectively awarding its workforce.
“We want to harmonise the salary structure before we ask for salary increment and we want the least paid worker, that is assistant lecturer, to get Sh350,000 while professors will be getting Sh1.9 million,” said Wasonga.
They said patience was running out since the last review of basic salaries and house allowance for employees of public universities of Kenya was carried out six years ago. “We restrained ourselves giving the government and universities adequate time to grow the economy and negotiate with us before remunerating employees but now something must be done immediately,” said Mukhwaya.
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