The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has opened talks with universities on the 2021-2025 (CBAs).
Source: Nation Africa
The CBAs should have been signed by June 30, 2021, but a stand-off over payments for the 2017-2021 period delayed the talks, thus denying various institutions an opportunity to table counter-offers.
The SRC has written to separate universities giving them the go-ahead to revise lecturers’ salaries as per the signed CBAs.
Due to financial instability, public universities have been unable to pay lecturers based on signed salary scales, leading to accumulation of debts.
Following a communique from the SRC, public universities have begun inviting the various chapters of the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) to the negotiating table.
In one of the letters, the University of Nairobi has written to Uasu branch secretary Maloba Wekesa inviting the union for negotiations.
n the letter signed by acting registrar in charge of administration, Mr Bernard Njuguna, the premier the university has promised to table a counter-offer to the lecturers’ demands.
“This is to inform you that we have now received advisory from the Salaries and remuneration Commission (SRC) via a memo ref SRC/TS volume 1(40) dated September 2,2022 on negotiations for internal Collective Bargaining Agreement with Universities Academic Staff union (Uasu),” the letter to Dr Wekesa reads in part.
75 per cent pay rise
In their 2021-2025 CBA proposal, which was submitted in 2020, the Uasu national office is demanding a 152 per cent salary increase for lecturers.
The union proposed that the highest paid lecturer should earn Sh494,415, reflecting a 75 per cent pay rise.
Uasu further proposed that the lowest paid lecturer should earn Sh145,702, reflecting a 152 per cent pay rise, by the end of June 30, 2025.
Under the current CBA (2017-2021), the lowest paid lecturers – graduate and research assistants – earn Sh57,729, while the highest paid staff – professors – earn Sh283,087.
Uasu also proposed that the retirement age for university academic staff be raised from 70 years to 75 years. The union further proposed a professional allowance of between Sh6,000 and Sh60,000 depending on one’s job group.