Lecturers and their employers trade blame over strike as FKE urges talks

University staff and the government have traded blame on the ongoing strike that has paralysed learning in public universities for a month now.

Appearing before the National Assembly's Education Committee on Thursday, the two sides clashed on why the job boycott has persisted and why the government has failed to counter the workers’ CBA proposal.

National Treasury Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge said a case lodged by the teaching staff on job evaluation was to blame for delays in giving them a counter-offer.

However, University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) secretary-general Constantine Wasonga said CBA talks cannot be linked to the contentious job evaluation.

Counter-offer

Dr Wasonga said Uasu will only call off the industrial action once a counter-offer has been tabled.

University Education Principal Secretary Japheth Ntiba said lack of commissioners at the Salaries and Remuneration Commission had made it hard to table a counter-offer.

Vice chancellors Committee chairman Francis Aduol said the Education ministry and the National Treasury had not authorised them to table an offer to university staff.

He said a staff audit was done last year and could be used for to give the staff the counter-offer they have been demanding.

Negotiating table

The committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly directed the parties to go back to the negotiating table and resolve the issue.

"Students are suffering as no learning  is going on. Let's resolve this issue," said Mr Melly.

But Mr Thugge insisted that any talks will be based on advice of SRC.

He warned that any attempt to bypass SRC will be catastrophic for the government and universities.

Dr Wasonga said they are ready for talks at any time provided a counter-offer is tabled.

Structured talks

Separately, the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) has asked government to have a structured dialogue with lecturers to end the strike.

FKE executive director Jacqueline Mugo said there is need for the parties to adopt a different approach, find a middle ground and forge a return-to-work formula that would be agreeable to all.

“We cannot conduct labour relations without reasonable dialogue and compromise, parties need to adopt a different approach to the issue considering that students stand to suffer irreparable loss as a result of the strike,” she said.

She spoke on Thursday at the English Point Marina in Mombasa during the FKE's Coast Branch 58th Regional annual general meeting.

She noted that the government and stakeholders in the country needs to find a permanent solution to avert strikes in essential service sectors such as health, water and education.

“Strikes in essential service sectors are really not encouraged globally, all economies strive to avoid strikes on these service sectors because when withdrawn it would endanger lives of people,” she added.