Learning and operations at the University of Eldoret have been paralyzed after lecturers and other non-teaching staff held peaceful demonstrations.
The over 5,000 workers are protesting against the university’s failure to implement a 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
According to one of the lecturers’ union officials at the Chepkoilel-based University Phillip Chebunet, the management must pay them salaries as per the CBA.
They have turned down an offer from the university that wanted to pay them within four months.
“Lecturers and workers don’t want four months outside the payslip. The money must be reflected forever,” said Chebunet, in a phone interview with Uasin Gishu News on Monday, March 14, 2022.
The workers are demanding implementation of the CBA that will cost the University of Eldoret (UoE) an additional Ksh76 million in the salary budget.
“We shall withdraw our labor until our members are paid,” said Chebunet.
Hundreds of the workers staged the protest outside the university’s main gate, as they demanded the Vice-Chancellor Prof Teresia Akenga to immediately authorize their pay.
The university however deployed at least 50 police officers to man the gate, and block the workers from entering the institution.
“We’re demanding full implementation of 2017-2021 CBA that said members must be paid diagonally. This is not a strike, members are just picketing,” noted Chebunet.
“The meeting is peaceful and unarmed. We want the Vice-Chancellor to sign the Cheque and ensure our money is paid,” he added.
Several public universities have witnessed lecturers strike over delays in the implementation of the CBA that seeks to increase salaries and allowances.
Some of the universities that have witnessed the strike over the CBA include Egerton and Moi University.
The university union officials say other institutions have since implemented the CBA and wondered why there was being delayed.
“As staff and workers of the university, we are suffering a lot and we know of over 16 public universities which have since honored the CBA,” said Dr. Nyaberi Mogaka in September 2021, when the UoE workers were picketing.
