Economy

Amina meets varsity council chairs Monday on lecturers strike

amina

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has convened a meeting of all council chairmen of the 31 public universities and colleges today to find a solution to the lecturers strike.

In a letter signed by University Education Principal Secretary Japhet Ntiba, the CS said the meeting will discuss the best way to handle the strike which has disrupted learning in some of the universities.

“The strike has persisted even after a court order that the strike is unprotected,” said Prof Ntiba.

He said the meeting, scheduled for 2pm will seek the best way to restore normalcy at the institutions.

The meeting comes just two days after the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) asked VCs to discipline staff who do not report back to work on Monday.

They asked  public universities to launch disciplinary measures on staff who fail to resume duty, including firing some of them.

READ: Ghost workers delay end of lecturers strike

Union leaders who have been accused of disobeying court orders will be first to be dealt with.

The unionists of the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and the Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu) may be sent home. University chapter leaders of the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) may also be fired.

“IPUCCF urges the management of public universities to take stern action on staff in their respective institutions who do not report to duty on Monday April 9 as directed by court,” said Prof Paul Kanyari, the chairperson.

“All staff must continue discharging their duties diligently to ensure harmonious industrial relations in public universities,” he said.  Lecturers are pushing for the negotiation and signing of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which is estimated to cost Sh38 billion.

The forum members said so far two court orders have been issued – on March 16 and April 6 – and cautioned staff against disobeying the orders.  

Uasu appealed the Friday court ruling immediately, arguing that they stand to suffer damages should the orders issued by Judge Onesmus Makau stand.