NAIROBI, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has called on lecturers and subordinate workers in public universities to drop their strike threat over delayed implementation of a salary hike deal agreed in February.
Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i in a statement issued late Saturday appealed to lecturers to withdraw their planned strike on Monday saying 47 million U.S. dollars has been wired to various banks.
"We have wired half the amount to the accounts of 31 public universities and colleges. The rest of the amount will come from the 2017/18 financial year," Matiangi said.
Lecturers had given the government up to Friday midnight to implement their 2013-17 CBA, failure to which they would go on strike on Monday.
The CBA which expired on Friday allocates 100 million dollars to lecturers and non-teaching staff of three university unions, for the adjustment of their salaries and house allowances.
The Secretary General of University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Constantine Wesonga said a prolonged industrial strike was inevitable if the government reneges on a pledge to improve remuneration of workers in the institutions of higher learning.
"We are ready to dialogue with the government and university councils to end the stalemate over delays in the implementation of a salary increase agreement," Wesonga said on Friday.
But Matiangi appealed to university union, UASU, to withdraw the Monday strike and encourage its members to go on with their duties uninterrupted.
He said the government is committed to meet its side of the bargain, noting that implementation of the CBAs will straddle the two-financial years; 2016/2017 and 2017/2018.
"It is therefore our position that there is absolutely no reason for university unions to resort to industrial action," he said.
The amount in the CBA was to be shared by University Academic Staff Union, Kenya University Staff Union and Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers. This was in the ratio 1:3:6.
Kenyan university lectures in January downed tools citing state failure to honor an agreement on salary increase and better working conditions.
Their 54-day strike paralyzed learning in 31 public universities while putting cutting edge research programs in jeopardy.
The strike was called off after the ministry of education signed a return to work formula with the university dons that called for a salary increase that is in line with global best practices.
The university lecturers have argued that the government wants to avoid its previous commitment to pay the lecturers and to designate them to the right department of government.
