State rules out pay rise, ask dons to resume work

Business

By Moses Njagih and Augustine Oduor

A bruising battle is in the offing after the Government and the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) stood their ground over the stalemate in pay negotiations.

The Government was on Monday talking tough, saying it would not part with any money to meet lecturer’s demands.

At University of Nairobi, angry students took to the streets stoning motorists and engaging police in running battles. The students rallied behind their lecturers in the tussle with the Government and the universities administration. The Government played hardball and urged lecturers to resume their duties since they would not get a cent.

But Uasu said they will not budge. The union issued a three-day ultimatum on the Government to table an offer as the basis to kick-start negotiations or face enhanced industrial action.

Higher Education Minister Prof Margaret Kamar on Monday told the dons and non-teaching staff to forget about getting a pay hike.

"We will not give them even a penny. They should report to work because there is no money,’’ said the minister at a function attended by President Kibaki.

On the other hand, Uasu Secretary General Muga K’Olale urged the striking university staff to remain firm and not fall to the "divide and rule" tactics that the Government had started engaging in to defeat the strike.

Speaking at Ziwa market in Eldoret North Constituency during the commissioning of the construction of Ziwa-Kachibora road by President Kibaki, Prof Kamar said though she sympathised with lecturers, they would not get a pay hike.

She added: "We are expecting the President to preside over a graduation ceremony at Masinde Muliro University this Friday and lecturers should not embarrass the Head of State."

Kibaki in his speech did not comment on the lecturer’s strike but on Government’s commitments to improving roads in the country.

Plight of students

The minister explained that she held a meeting with Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy Prime and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and agreed that the demands by striking University staff would not be met.

She added that the strike had paralysed on- going examinations in various universities.

But Kamar noted that the Government was ready to talk with the lecturers on condition that they report back to work.

"Uasu officials should be ready to give dialogue a chance," said the Eldoret South MP.

"This is examination season in most universities and striking lecturers should consider the plight of students who have paid money as they down tools," she added.

University of Nairobi students last evening engaged police in running battles along State House road and Uhuru Highway in support of lecturers. They vowed not to go home, despite the fact that learning has been paralysed at the institution.

Students Organisation of Nairobi University (Sonu) held a press conference at Ufungamano House, where they rallied behind their lecturers. They said that though they were suffering, they will hold on and hope the stalemate is urgently resolved.

"We will not go home, but instead we are demanding that the Government negotiates with the lecturers. It is our right to access education, which must be provided to us by the Government," said Sonu chairman Babu Owino. He said that it would be wrong for the students to suffer and be punished through missing classes adding this could extend their training period.

"We do not want to take any extra day more than the period that our programmes are supposed to take. If our course is supposed to take four years, we do not wish to be here any longer," said Owino.

Troops fighting

The students dismissed the Government’s position that it may not have money to effect a pay rise for the lecturers, saying emergency funds being channelled to other causes should be given to the striking staff.

"It is ironical that a Government that is spending millions per day to sustain troops fighting Al Shabaab would argue that it does not have money to pay lecturers. It shows how unwilling the Government is in investing in education," said Jack Odula, another student leader.

At another press conference, Uasu and the University Non Teaching Staff Union (Untesu) issued a three-day ultimatum, warning the Government to prepare for unspecified enhanced actions at the lapse of the period.

The unions warned of worse strike days ahead if the Government refuses to offer anything that would bring them to the negotiation table.

The two unions dismissed calls of return to work by a section of vice-chancellors and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotel, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha).

"We have issued this ultimatum failure to which they will see a more fierce strike across the country," said Muga K’Olale, Uasu Secretary General. K’Olale added, "Divide and rule tactics resorted to by the Government will not succeed even as some top university officials agree to be used to scuttle the strike."

The unions said they are ready to negotiate on condition that the Government responds "at least with something’’.

"We have never refused to talk to the Government as has been reported. What we want is that they must put something on the table, however small it is, so that we can start talking," said Charles Mukhwaya, Untesu Secretary General.

Additional Reporting by Peter Atsiaya

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