Universities staff suspend nationwide strike after court order
What you need to know:
- Last week, university staff threatened to go on strike starting Monday over the government's failure to fast-track the implementation of a 2013-2014 collective bargaining agreement.
- Addressing journalists on Sunday in Nairobi, TUC-Kenya Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the unions had issued an ultimatum to the government and the respective employers in November last year to clear negotiations on the CBAs they had agreed on but no action had been taken.
The Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels, Education Health Institutions and Allied Workers (KUDHEHIA), following a court order issued Monday, has suspended its nationwide strike pending negotiations with officials of public universities over pay.
The members had already commenced their strike, a day after the Trade Unions Congress of Kenya (TUC-Kenya) called for an urgent meeting with the government to avert industrial action by employees of public universities.
Last week, university staff threatened to go on strike starting Monday over the government's failure to fast-track the implementation of a 2013-2014 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
Addressing journalists on Sunday in Nairobi, TUC-Kenya Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the unions had issued an ultimatum to the government and the respective employers in November last year to clear negotiations on the CBAs they had agreed on but no action had been taken.
Mr Sossion said the unions had tried to engage the government and universities by tabling their draft CBA to jumpstart negotiations, but the government had not been receptive.
“The national budget statement shall be read in the month of March and up to this minute, it is only Knut which has cleared the negotiation of its CBA with the TSC.
"We would have expected all the other employers in the public service to follow suit and so it is a huge concern for us to ensure that business is cleared with our employers and of course the government in relation to the CBAs,” Mr Sossion said.
TUC-Kenya deputy chairman Charles Mukhwaya urged the government to stop neglecting its critical sectors, arguing that constant unending strikes were painting a bad image of the country to the world.
“How can the government neglect its sectors and leave them to always go on strike? It is not good for a country like ours to be a country of strikes by public employees when we have a working government. The government should engage and find solutions,” said Dr Mukhwaya.
