Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos on Wednesday disclosed the miscalculation of the percentage salary increase as the main point of contention with the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) whose members downed their tools on Monday, October 29, at midnight.
Appearing before the Senate, the CS stated that the government and UASU are differing on the exact figure of increments which lied between 7 per cent and 10 per cent agreed upon in their 2021 -2025 National Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) signed in 2019.
“The challenge between us (government) and UASU on the return-to-work formula for lecturers is we agreed on a 7 per cent and 10 per cent increment, but the figure that the government has against the figure that UASU has differs with about Ksh5 billion,” CS Migos explained.
According to Migos, UASU has presented a different figure that is in excess of what the government has calculated, which ended up stalling the negotiations.
“When we calculate with the 7 per cent and 10 per cent with the 4 per cent annual increment, the figure comes to Ksh4.3 billion,” he stated.
On the other hand, UASU maintained that according to their calculations, Ksh4.3 billion does not translate to 7 per cent and 10 per cent increments as agreed in the CBA.
Migos explained that when an estimated figure by UASU of Ksh9 billion is calculated, the increment moves from 7 per cent and 10 per cent to a different percentage.
“When simulations were done, the figure that the government had against the figure that UASU had, differs by almost Ksh5 billion. That is the discussion we are having to find out what is the reason for the difference in the calculations,” he elaborated.
He, however, promised to work with the other party to arrive at a middle ground and agree that this is the actual figure.
At the same time, he noted that they have arranged a meeting to deliberate on the matter with the dons who have maintained that they will not return to work unless the CBA is implemented.
Migos further explained that the Ministry of Education is faced with a general deficit of the budget against what is required in the implementation of the CBA.
It comes as the Labour Court ruled the lectures' strike as unconstitutional and ordered UASU to hold negations with the government to reach an agreement.
