The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) has issued a seven-day strike notice over delayed and incomplete salary payments, which may paralyze academic activities in all public universities.
This was announced by Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga on Wednesday after a meeting of the National Executive Committee and warned that learning in all public universities might be disrupted in September when new and returning students report.
“There will be no learning in universities from September,” Wasonga said.
The union also condemned salary cuts at the Technical University of Kenya, where staff are reportedly receiving only 65 percent of their July pay.
“The union shall not accept reduction in salaries for our members. We will not tolerate any delays in releasing salaries to public universities and shall take legal action,” Wasonga said.
He added that continued delays in paying salaries had subjected academic staff in public universities to a lot of suffering.
Wasonga protested further that the employers have not remitted contributions to the National Social Security Fund, National Health Insurance Fund, retirement benefits schemes, and various deductions for saccos, loans, insurance, pensions, and other welfare bodies.
“Most public universities have dysfunctional medical schemes, and the failure to remit NHIF has worsened the situation. There is a high rate of suffering among university workers,” he lamented.
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Uasu’s strike notice follows a recent threat by teachers to strike next month if the government fails to implement the second phase of their 2021-2025 collective bargaining agreement, which includes a 7.9% salary increase that was due in July.
On Tuesday, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua met officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers as the government sought to stave off the teachers’ strike.
Mutua promised to meet the Teachers Service Commission next week over teachers’ concerns.
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