TUK Lecturers Down Tools Over Delayed Salaries.
Learning activities at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) were disrupted on Thursday at midday when lecturers and other staff staged protests. The workers, gathered near the administration block, demanded the immediate disbursement of their December salaries, which they accused the government of delaying.
The protests followed the expiry of a seven-day strike notice issued to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. In the notice, the workers had urged the two officials to address their grievances, but no action was taken.
According to staff members, their petition detailed the challenges they faced, including how delayed salaries were negatively impacting their welfare and productivity. They lamented the lack of response from the relevant authorities, despite their repeated efforts to seek redress.
One protesting staff member explained that the strike notice issued on January 16 had given the government a week to resolve the salary delays. After the notice lapsed without resolution, staff members opted to down their tools and stage demonstrations.
While marching around the university compound, the workers chanted solidarity songs and carried placards condemning the delays. They termed the withholding of salaries a violation of their rights under the Employment Act of 2007, adding that it had left many unable to meet their financial obligations.
Previous Strikes and Government Agreements
The strike comes just two weeks after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) threatened industrial action over the government’s failure to implement the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
UASU Organising Secretary Onesmas Muluki expressed frustration with the government’s failure to pay November and December salaries and implement agreed-upon new salaries. He explained that the CBA, valued at Ksh9.76 billion, was supposed to be implemented starting December 2022, along with arrears for October and November.
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Despite receiving a directive from the Principal Secretary instructing universities to prepare for the payment of new salaries in December, lecturers went through the festive season without receiving their adjusted pay, Muluki noted.
The workers remain adamant that their grievances must be addressed, as they await further action from the government to resolve the matter.
TUK Lecturers Down Tools Over Delayed Salaries.
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