Yesterday, public university administrations issued a notice withdrawing the controversial return-to-work formula they signed with lecturers before retracting it in less than one hour.
Secretary of the Public University Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), Professor Daniel Mugende, signed the notice. The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) was accused of violating the agreement by refusing to resume its notice duties. Uasu asserts that it is the employers who have not kept their end of the bargain.
“In response to this fundamental breach, the IPUCCF hereby exercises its right to revoke the Return to Work Formula and considers the Agreement terminated. This action therefore effectively returns both parties to their original positions prior to signing the Return to Work Formula on September 26, 2024. Accordingly, Please consider this as official notification that the IPUCCF considers the return to work formula to have expired and all relevant conditions and obligations are null and void,” Professor Mugendi said.
However, he confirmed to Business Daily that the notice was withdrawn at 4pm, but did not give reasons.
Constantine Wasonga, Secretary-General of Owasso, acknowledged receipt of the notice and withdrew it.
IPUCCF and Uasu are scheduled to appear before the National Assembly Education Committee tomorrow over the dispute that has crippled learning in public universities.
The crux of the dispute was the payment of salary arrears owed to lecturers and an increase in salary.
After signing the agreement to end the strike, the parties agreed to form a committee to develop a simulation of how the children would benefit.
The team retreated to Machakos University for three days where they prepared schedules.
In addition to implementing the 2021-2025 collective bargaining agreement, the return-to-work formula approved a salary increase ranging from seven to 10 percent.
The simulation conducted by the committee estimates the total cost at Sh9.76 billion.
However, according to the Ministry of Education simulation, the total figure owed to lecturers is Sh4.3 billion. This offer was rejected by the Uasu organization and demanded that its members stay away from the lecture halls.
Under the agreement, lecturers in job grades 13 to 15 will receive a basic salary increase of 7 percent, while lecturers in job grades 10 to 12 will receive a 10 percent increase. They will also benefit from an automatic annual increase calculated at four percent of basic salary for two years of the CBA cycle beginning July 1, 2023.
As part of the deal, university employees will benefit from an automatic annual raise calculated at four percent of base salary for two years of the CBA cycle beginning July 1, 2023.
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