Lecturers, nurses issue strike notices

Nurses and university lecturers have issued a seven-day strike notice in a fresh round of labour unrest beleaguering a government already burdened by a high wage bill.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), Universities Non-teaching Staff Union (Untesu) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) have vowed to go on strike on October 1 should the state renege ona Sh 7.8 pay rise deal struck in September.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the Untesu Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya accused university administrators of “buying time with a view of implementing a watered down version” of the pay deal.

“We expected that as agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), all staff in our public universities shall have their salary and housing allowances increased by 33 and 14.5 per cent respectively by November 2012. We have come to end of November and none of the universities’ payrolls have those figures incorporated,” he said.

He added that activities in all public universities, including graduation ceremonies planned for between November 30 and December 14, will be paralysed if the pay increase will not be included in the November payslips of all lectures and non-teaching staff.

“We wish to notify and warn management of public universities that workers will take nothing and are expecting nothing rather than the signed and agreed deal by the end of this month,” he said.

Mr Mukhwaya said that the unions resorted to industrial action after their efforts to engage the universities’ administration failed.

“We have exhausted all avenues of getting an amicable solution to this problem. We believe in dialogue but when the other party chooses not to come forth and engages in activities that are likely to violate this agreement then we read mischief, lack of goodwill and doing things in bad faith,” he said.

The Kenya National Union of Nurses, National Nurses Association of Kenya and Kenya Progressive Nurses Association also issued a seven-day notice to demand for the registration of their union as well as payment of allowances.

“We have tried to discuss with the government but yesterday (Saturday) we held the national governing council as a union and consulted with the members and nurses have asked us to stop negotiations forthwith,” KNUN chairman Jophinus Musundi told a press briefing in Nairobi.

The union also demanded for the employment of all nurses on contracts, improved supply of medical equipment to health centres and appointment of a Director of Nursing Services.

It also wants the government to effect allowances already agreed upon, including an increase of uniform allowance from Sh833 to Sh5,000 per month, a non-practice allowance of Sh30,000, commuter allowance of Sh15,000 and high-risk allowance of Sh20,000.