Lecturers set for May salary boost in new deal

More than 9,000 lecturers and workers in public universities will in May earn higher salaries when their Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2017 to 2021 will be implemented.

Top of the agenda of the National Assembly, which will convene Wednesday, will be the passing of the supplementary budget which contains a provision for Sh6.6 billion — part of the Sh8.8 billion deal.

“We have been reliably informed that Sh6.6 billion, which was part of the Sh8.8 billion deal is in the supplementary budget and we might begin earning it in May at the very latest,” said University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) organising secretary Muiga Rugara.

He said the government had assured the lecturers that the balance of Sh2.2 billion would be included in the 2020/21 budget estimates in June.

“The uncertainties surrounding the CBA are now thankfully over. The National Assembly is obligated to pass the supplementary budget which also contains the Covid-19 emergency response funding,” said Dr Rugara by phone.

The latest development is in line with a January pledge to the lecturers by Education CS George Magoha that the pay deal would be implemented in two phases because it was not factored in the 2019/20 budget.

Under the CBA, university workers will earn a salary increment of between 5.75 to 6.27 per cent annually for 2017-2021.

The total figure sums up to Sh8.8 billion for all public universities, including their pension.

Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) chief executive Ann Gitau said the new basic salary structure covers a four-year CBA for the period 2017-2021 and is aligned with implementation of job evaluation results for public universities.

“The new basic salary is to be implemented in four equal phases consistent with the CBA cycle,” she said in a letter to the union when the deal was signed last year.

SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said the Sh8.8 billion is exclusive of the four per cent average annual drift, which is the automatic annual increment and is dependent on the level of an individual’s job scale.

On Monday, Dr Rugara said the passing of the supplementary budget would ease anxiety and tension building up among lecturers over the fate of the CBA.

Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga had in January called out the lecturers for an indefinite work boycott over the government’s failure to honour the CBA signed on October 28 last year. The strike would have paralysed learning in 35 public institutions and the crisis would have been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The universities, together with all education institutions, were on March 15 ordered to close down to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far infected 281 people and killed 14.

Prof Magoha said on Sunday the ministry had worked out various scenarios to make up for lost time once learning resumes countrywide.

“During the course of next week we shall tell you the various scenarios that we have come up with and not all of them involve a doomsday situation. And since we are optimistic, I still refuse to be guided by fear mongers,” he said.

Specifically, Prof Magoha said the national examinations slated for November would be held on schedule despite the disruption to the school calendar caused by the pandemic.

Last week, Prof Magoha said schools had lost only lost three weeks and that it was still possible to work out a way to ensure the examinations were carried out according to the official Kenya National Examinations Council time table.

Because of the shutdown, most universities and private schools have started giving online lessons to keep the academic calendar going.

At the same time the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has expanded its broadcast for schools programme by more than two hours. The lessons carried on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) radio for four-and-a-half hours are now being aired for seven hours.

KBC has also created a second channel airing Kiswahili lessons for one hour daily.

KICD acting Chief Executive Officer Joel Mabonga said its television station – the Edu Channel – is also broadcasting lessons especially for learners already under the new Competency-Based Curriculum.