Kenya's varsity lecturers call off strike

NAIROBI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's lecturers in public universities on Saturday called off an over-one-month long strike which has paralyzed learning in the institutions of higher learning across the country.

The Universities' Academic Staff Union (UASU) called off the 38-day strike after signing a return-to-work deal with the Universities Council following a consultative meeting with the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).

"UASU and IPUCCF have today signed a Return to Work Formula concluding the strike that has paralyzed learning and research at all public universities since the beginning of November 2017," the two said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi.

"UASU notes that return to work formula guarantees that universities will not victimize academic staff and union officials for participating in the industrial action," it said.

They also agreed that the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations will start on Dec. 18 until January 31.

UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the meeting also resolved that the Vice Chancellors' Committee takes up the outstanding pension issue for the 2010-2013 and the 2013-2017 CBAs, amounting to 15.6 million U.S. dollars and 20 million dollars respectively, with the education ministry and Treasury.

All the lecturers in the East African nation's 31 public universities have boycotted duty on Oct. 31 to push for implementation of their collective bargaining agreement, which would see them earn more.

It was the third time this year the 9,000 lecturers in public universities went on strike seeking to push the government to pay them 50 million U.S. dollars salary arrears, part of the deal.

The union accused universities of refusing to effect a pay raise for workers to new brackets negotiated under the 2013-2017 collective bargaining agreement. Enditem