Public universities resume classes this morning after the lecturers’ union and vice-chancellors reached an agreement yesterday to end a 54-day impasse.
The signing of the contested Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) ended the stalemate, which had paralysed learning in institutions of higher learning.
Out of the Sh10 billion offered by the government, Sh6 billion will be shared by more than 9,000 Uasu members while the remaining amount will be distributed among Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospital and Allied Union (Kudheiha) workers.
The government resolved to have deductions for the employer’s component of pension contributions removed from an initial offer of Sh10 billion, which was first tabled on February 10.
This now gives the dons and non-teaching staff an additional Sh2 billion. The earlier offer meant that Uasu members were to receive an increment of only 3.2 and 1.6 per cent on salaries and house allowance.
But the signing of the 2013-2017 CBA also means the dons will get a 17.5 per cent increase in basic salary and 3.9 per cent rise in house allowance. Academic staff will benefit from the arrears accrued since July 1, 2013, to be implemented by end of June 2017.
The new salary increment will see a professor take home about Sh250,000 while a graduate assistant will be paid close to Sh80,000, up from the current Sh211, 000 and Sh66, 000 respectively.
“We assure our members that this settlement was the best possible deal under the prevailing circumstances as the CBA period is due to expire within three months,” said Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga.
“I call on all our members to resume research and teaching tomorrow (today) at 8am,” he said shortly after signing a Return to Work Formula at a Nairobi hotel. He, however, called on IPUCCF and the government to immediately register the CBA at the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
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