By Justina Chomba
Non-teaching staff at Egerton University today November 16 went on strike to protest alleged high-handedness and arbitral slashing of workers’ salaries by the school management.
The workers under different unions among them Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels and Educational Institutions Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) vowed to remain on strike until their grievances are addressed.
KUSU branch chairperson, Kipchumba Ruto said the staff’s decision to continue working regardless of mistreatment by management amounts to disobedience to their own constitution.
The protest which officially commenced on November 15 has adversely affected learning at the institution especially the special and supplementary examinations which were to be carried out on Tuesday morning.
The workers have been on a go slow for a week which started on November 8 to pressure university management to heed their pleas but there were no actions taken by the administration forcing them to go on strike on Monday, 15th November.
While addressing workers who had gathered under their respective labour unions, Ruto said they would be relentless in demanding their rights which included pay rise.
The staff who had issued a strike notice last week gathered at the university’s graduation square outside administration block as hundreds of students watched.
In the notice dated Novermber 4th, the three unions said they were shocked upon realizing that university management had once again disregarded their Return-to-Work Formula and slashed their salaries.
“The above sustained and systematic act of industrial injustice and University Management Board cruelty and impunity comes in the backdrop of implementation of enhanced salary scales in other public universities,” read the part of a letter signed by all the three union officials.
Ruto said the employees would return to work after full and unconditional payment of their owed dues as per the 2020 Return-to-Work Formula and the 2017-2021 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA).
They claimed that salary increment in other public universities was in accordance with the duly negotiated, signed 2017-2021 CBA.
Ruto termed the blatant disregard of Egerton workers CBA rights was a stark violation of obtaining Terms and Conditions of Service, Labour Laws, Kenya Constitution 2010 and International Best Practices.
UASU chapter chairman, Mwaniki Ngari said their demands were not unique to Egerton because it had been provided for 2017-2021 CBA.
KUSU branch secretary Dr. Ernest Wayaya urged the government to intervene and solve the stalemate at the university.
He said it was unfair for the university to expect them to continue working without proper remunerations.
On his side, Egerton University Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Isaac Kibwage the institution did not have the amount of money the workers were demanding because capitation by the government was not adequate.
He said the management was open to dialogue with a view of continuing operations at the university.
