University staff accept Govt pay deal
University staff during a past strike. University staff have accept salary deal from the government. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Universities’ managers had insisted that they collectively owes employees Sh14 billion but SRC puts the figure at Sh8.8 billion and cautioned the Ministry of Education against giving staff extra more money
Universities have now agreed to take Sh8.8 billion instead of Sh14 billion for pay rise following a hard-line position by Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
On Tuesday, the university management held a crisis meeting with staff and agreed to take the money as the issue of additional Sh6 billion is addressed by the Ministry of Education.
Top negotiator, University of Nairobi Vice-Chancellor Isaac Mbeche, said the move will allow the institutions to implement pay increase for 27,000 staff in public universities.
“We want our staff to enjoy the benefits of the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement immediately,” said Prof Mbeche.
Universities’ managers had insisted that they collectively owes employees Sh14 billion but SRC puts the figure at Sh8.8 billion and cautioned the Ministry of Education against giving staff extra more money.
According to SRC, universities’ staff figures are erroneous and the officials asked Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) to ensure the figures are correctly computed.
This means that by next month the staff will now get the new pay.
SRC also denied all university staff an increase in house allowance in a deal that was signed in October 2019.
In the deal, graduate assistants currently earning between Sh46, 978 and Sh66,978 will now take home between Sh61, 482 and Sh78,659 while assistant lecturer currently earning between Sh83, 598 and Sh118,348 will take home between Sh105,256 and Sh134,525.
Lecturers current getting a basic salary of between Sh99,409 and Sh140,683 will now take home between Sh120,789 and Sh155,438.
Senior lecturer currently earning between Sh112,038 and Sh159,720 will now take home between Sh152, 303 and Sh194,852 while associate professor who are currently being paid between Sh145,441 and Sh203, 605 will take home between Sh189,965 and Sh238,902.
A professor will now earn between Sh220, 286 and sh274, 540 up from between Sh170, 681 and Sh248, 898.
“Total arrears will depend on date of joining the institution and the number of months worked in the year under reference,” reads the document.
A total of 9,000 lecturers will be among the 27,000 universities staff that will benefit from the Sh8.8billion deal. Sh7billion will go towards salaries while Sh1.8billion is for pension.
The money the universities are demanding will be paid to members of the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu), the Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospital and Allied Workers (Kudheiha).
