The Ministry of Labour has summoned a reconciliation meeting for Uasu, Moi University council and management to resolve the ongoing strike.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The ministry through labour officer Carolyne Chemursoi, has written to the parties, asking them to meet in Eldoret on Friday.
The reconciliation meeting seeks to iron out issues that have seen over 900 lecturers down tools. The strike is now in its second week.
The move follows a request by the university council chairman Dr Humphrey Njoroge who asked the ministry to mediate.
“Please take note that the meeting shall take place at the labour offices in Eldoret on Friday September 6, 2024”, said Chemursoi in her letter to the union, the university council and management.
Uasu branch secretary Nyabuta Ojuki confirmed that they had received communication from the labour officer and would attend the meeting.
Last week Njoroge wrote to Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga urging the dons to resume work as their issues were being addressed but the union declined.
The university is yet to pay salaries for July and August for the lecturers. The union says it will not call off the strike until the university meets their demands.
“They have continued to give us false promises and unless they pay, we will not resume work,” Ojuki said.
Wasoga said the university has to do as the lecturers are demanding and not give promises through letters
He has threatened they would upscale the strike if their demands are not met within a week.
The Uasu national officials had last week led the lecturers during demonstrations in Eldoret town to push for payment of delayed salaries and implementation of their 2017-2021 CBA.
Wasonga threatened they would call for a general strike of all universities accusing the government of neglecting the institutions of higher learning.
“We have said enough is enough and directed our staff at Moi University not to report back to work until all their grievances are addressed by the management” Wasonga said.
He wondered why the government had insisted that the new universities funding model was working well yet the lecturers and other staff had not been paid for long.
“In any case, we wonder why lecturers should be told to wait for fees payments so that they earn salaries yet we have never heard judiciary officers being told to wait for court fines to be paid so they can also earn,” Wasonga said.
The dons have been on strike since Monday last week to push for payment of their salaries for July and August along with full implementation of the CBA.
Uasu branch officials led by chairman Richard Okero and Ojuki said the university had failed to remit more than Sh4.2 billion deducted from the workers for their pension scheme.
“We will not return to work until all the grievances we have raised are addressed. We will have to get all that we want before we sign any return to work formula,” said Okero and Njoroge.
The two had three weeks ago met the Uasu officials over the stalemate at the university but no resolution was reached.
“We met with Uasu officials and agreed on the way forward. We are facing challenges just like other universities but we are committed to resolving all the issues with our lecturers,” Njoroge said….CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLE>>>
