by Christine Lagat
NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Academic staff and subordinate workers in some Kenyan public universities on Monday boycotted work citing failure by the government to honor a salary increase deal signed in March.
The second university lecturers' strike this year could trigger a paralysis in Kenya's education sector amid government efforts to reform it in order to tackle skills deficit in key sectors of the economy.
Senior officials from unions representing university teaching and non-teaching staff said the industrial action will continue until the government implements a 10-million-U.S.-dollar salary increase deal covering 2013 to 2017.
Charles Mukhwaya, the Secretary General of Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), said the industrial action was prompted by the state's dithering in the implementation of an agreement to increase salaries and other fringe benefits.
"Our agreement with the government stated clearly that the salary increase for university employees should be implemented in full. The industrial action we have just commenced is based on violation of this cardinal rule," Mukhwaya said.
Kenyan university dons and subordinate staff on June 30 issued a new 24-hour strike notice to their employer over delays to implement the salary hike deal.
Cabinet Secretary for Education Fred Matiangi said the government had already deposited 5 million dollars to 31 public universities to cater for revised salaries for lecturers and non-teaching staff.
Union officials however said they will not settle for partial implementation of the salary hike deal saying it violated labor laws.
Mukhwaya told reporters that the comprehensive bargaining agreement signed with the government in mid March awarded lecturers a 17.5 and 3.9 percent increase on basic salary and house allowance respectively.
With the strike, Kenyan university lecturers joined nurses in public health facilities whose three-week strike has paralyzed provision of medical care to under-privileged and terminally ill patients.
