TUK Lecturers Begin Strike After Ultimatum to CS John Mbadi Lapses

Learning activities were disrupted at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) on Thursday at noon after lecturers and other staff at the institution staged demonstrations.

The disgruntled workers held their demonstrations near the institution’s administration block demanding the immediate disbursement of their December salaries by the government.

The strike followed the lapse of a seven-day notice in which the workers wrote to the Education and Treasury cabinet secretaries Julius Ogamba and John Mbadi urging them to address their grievances.

In the videos obtained by Kenyans.co.ke, the agitated workers chanted solidarity songs as they marched around the school compound while hoisting placards.

“In our petition, we highlighted the challenges faced by staff, that directly affect their welfare and their impact their productivity. We have not received any response,” lamented one of the staff members.

“According to the strike notice issued on January 16, the seven-day notice elapsed yesterday. In that notice, we made it very clear that today, members of the staff would down their tools.”

While protesting, the workers termed the delayed salaries a violation of their rights under the Employment Act of 2007 adding that the delays had made it hard for them to meet their financial obligations.

The lecturers’ strike resumed barely a fortnight after the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) threatened to down their tools following the government’s failure to fulfill the Collective Bargain Agreement signed in November last year.

According to UASU Organising Secretary Onesmas Muluki, despite signing the agreement last year, the government has yet to fulfill the agreement including payment of November and December salaries for some lecturers.

“We agreed that the new salaries for university lecturers would be implemented in December and that we would also receive arrears for October and November,” Muluki noted.

“We saw a circular from the PS directing the universities to prepare to pay the new salaries in December. But again, we went for Christmas without the new salary as was expected,” he added.

In November last year, UASU called off the lecturers’ strike that had lasted for three weeks after the government committed to fulfilling the 2021-2025 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA), initially valued at Ksh9.76 billion.