Learning in public universities across the country was set to resume on Thursday morning after union officials called off their strike which was in its second week.
The officials said that an agreement was reached with the universities management on how to disburse the Sh3.8 billion owed to all unionisable members.
The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya announced that all staff should report back to their stations by 8am Thursday morning.
“We are happy to announce that the strike has been called off following fruitful talks with the Vice Chancellors. We have reached an amicable solution after a deal was struck that all the monies owed to us will be paid to all our members. We would like to ask our workers to go back to work at 8am tomorrow (Thursday),” he stated.
His sentiments were echoed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Muga K’Olale who stated that the deal reached was agreeable to all of them.
“Yes, it is true that we have reached a deal. All our members will be paid what is owed to them and measures should be put in place to ensure that this incident never repeats itself again. We have advised our lecturers to go back to class and continue teaching,” he stated.
The dons and other workers went on strike last week after talks failed to bear fruit.
The unions called the strike over the more than Sh3.9 billion that was part of Sh7.8 billion agreed upon between them and the government in a 2012 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The unions had argued that it’s a constitutional right to strike saying they had been left with no option than to boycott duties over what they termed as misappropriation of funds by Vice Chancellors.
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