Lecturers issue fresh threat in pay dispute

University lecturers have vowed to go on strike in two weeks if their pay dispute is not resolved.

As such, the Ministry of Education has a further 14 days to solve the pay dispute between lecturers and vice-chancellors or brace for a strike.

The public university lecturers agreed at the weekend to boycott classes if the new ultimatum ended without the issue being solved.

Kenya Universities Staff Union secretary-general Charles Mukhwaya said the National Governing Council met on Saturday and decided to down tools if the deadline ends without a solution.

“Kusu National Governing Council met and resolved that the funds be paid to staff immediately, failure to which the unions will call for industrial action in 14 days,” Dr Mukhwaya said on phone on Monday.

The dons have accused the university administrators of using cash meant for their salary increments and house allowances on issues that were not in a collective bargaining agreement entered in 2012.

Last week, the lecturers raised the red flag over the diversion of over Sh3.8 billion, saying, the vice-chancellors failed to stick to the CBA. They said they had given the government two weeks from December 31, last year, to respond to a report detailing diversion of the billions of shillings to other purposes other than what was agreed.

MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS

“The council noted that 2010-2013 the collective bargaining agreement was violated by universities. It also resolved that the funds be given to staff immediately,” he added.

The VCs have since denied misappropriating the funds saying they had used the money for the agreed purposes.

However, the lecturers insisted that they had not received the money and would push the government to intervene.

Studies could be paralysed in the institutions of leaning in three weeks if the lecturers issued a seven-day strike notice in a fortnight.

“We do not want to rush to strike. We are giving the government and the universities an opportunity to sort out this dispute,” the secretary-general said.

The unions’ officials said they wrote to the Ministry of Education on December 31 last year giving the minister 14 days to respond to their concerns regarding the failure by the VCs.

They said the Sh7.8billion was exclusively meant for raising their salaries and house allowances. However, they said only Sh3.9billion had been given them and the rest used for other purposes.
Dr Mukwhaya said the unions had been given the authority to call for the strike.

“The NGC authorised that a strike notice be given when the 14 days elapse and no payments would have been made. “The government has not responded yet but we have decided to give them and the university administrations a further 14 days to pay us,” he said.