Let us see end of lecturers' strikes

University lecturers demonstrate in Nairobi where they asked Deputy President William Ruto office to intervene in CBA Negotiations on 08/03/2017. [Photo by WILLIS AWANDU]

Calling off the latest strike by universities' academic staff may be a short-lived truce. This is because the underlying reason for the strike has not been conclusively tackled. Even as they called off the strike after protracted talks, lecturers demanded that all the provisions of the 2013/2017 collective bargaining agreement be finalised by the end of January.

The country has in the recent past been affected by crippling work boycotts by doctors, nurses, and teachers as a result of the Government’s failure to honour its side of the bargain. It is a matter of concern that we have yet to see an end to the spectacle of lectures’ strikes that have had a negative impact on the economy and students, who take a longer time to complete their courses when such disruptions occur. Unfortunately, students who were expected to sit their final exams this December will have to wait until a later date.