Lecturers' strike looms in public universities over pay deal

Public universities might be faced with another lecturers and staff strike over the implementation of CBAs.

The top officials are now calling for a centralised payroll for all universities.

The unions say most public universities have failed to implement the 2017-21 collective bargaining agreement fully.

Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga faulted the universities that failed to pay their staff correctly.

The union officials noted that out of 38 public universities, only 15 have used the correct method to place their staff.

According to an audit conducted by the Uasu, Kusu and Kudheiha, there is a Sh1.6 billion balance that remains from the universities.

The secretary general was speaking during a press conference held by the three workers' union on Thursday.

"If we did not conduct the audit, then taxpayer's money to the tune of Sh1.6 billion could have gone down the drain," Wasonga said.

The audit confirmed that public universities apply different methods to calculate arrears of basic salaries.

This has resulted in staff at the same grades and notches in the different universities being paid different amounts of arrears of basic salary.

“One of them earns Sh134,112, while another one with the same qualifications in another university received Sh40,452,” Wasonga said.

The methods used by different varsities include diagonal, horizontal, stepwise, swinging and the old CBA.

According to the audit, certain universities implemented unknown formulae, resulting in negative arrears.

Alupe University, Maasai Mara University and Turkana University have correctly placed their staff.

Wasonga faulted six other universities that have been paying their staff according to the old CBA, starting 2010.

The are Egerton University, Muranga University, Embu University, Meru University, Pwani University and the Technical University of Kenya.

“A method called stepwise, swinging, what are those? I don’t know where they got this from. It was not in the CBA I signed,” he said.

The union official accused Multimedia University management of failing to adopt the correct placement method.

“The finance officer did not know how they pay the CBA, so we gave it a name: indeterminate. That university did not know what they do for arrears,” he said.

MMU placed their members correctly after a strike by their staff in September.

Wasonga commended 15 universities that have placed their staff correctly but reminded them to settle their arrears.

"TUK came with a different method: that they a certain percentage of the money they get from the ministry," he said.

According to the audit report, South Eastern University has not been paying its employees the annual increment.

The report also indicates that the varsity pays contractual staff gratuity fees at 20 per cent instead of 31 per cent.

“Embu University is still implementing the 2010 CBA. When we were conducting the audit is when they moved their members to 2013 CBA rates,” he said.

Wasonga commended Kirinyaga University for fully implementing the CBA.

“This is the only university in Kenya that uses the money as was released. The VC implemented and remained with zero balance,” he said.

Earlier this year, the National Assembly approved Sh6 billion for the first implementation of the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 agreement, while the remaining amount of Sh2.2 billion was to be cleared for 2020-21.

In the 2017-21 CBA, the lowest-paid academic staff (graduate assistants and research assistants) earn Sh57,729 while the highest-paid academic staff is professors, who earn Sh283,087.

Lecturers from public universities will converge in Mombasa for two days to review the union policies.

Among the many issues to be raised include the lecturers' strike, public universities' financial crisis and the failed CBA implementation.

This year, more than four public universities have experienced strikes over delayed pay and other grievances