Trade unionists oppose sacking of university workers

Trade unionists have opposed sacking of more than 300 workers by Kisii University saying it is illegal and stakeholders were not consulted before the institution made the decision.

Kenya University Staff Union ( KUSU) Kisii branch chairman, Moses Nyandusi said the union was kept in the dark and only got notices of the laying off late.

He appealed to the university’s management to suspend the exercise and form a stakeholders committee to find an amicable solution to ease the suffering of the workers.

Nyandusi, accompanied by Kisii Branch Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotel, Educational, Institutions of Health and allied ( KUDHEIHA) Secretary, Thomas Mireri said they will fight for the rights of the workers and ensure they get justice.

The official noted some of the retrenched workers had loans to repay and it was wrong for the university to terminate their services prematurely without listening to their plight.

“The university gave the staff redundancy letters that they will be sacked next month and outsource their services. The exercise is elaborate and requires consultation,” Nyandusi told the press at the university on Tuesday.

Mireri said the affected staff were bread winners, adding they reported their plight at their office and wanted the union to intervene for the Institution to shelve the retrenchment.

“Our office was not aware of the laying off as per our Collective Bargaining Agreement with the University. Some of the staff members were stressed and wanted to commit suicide,” Mireri said.

The trade unionist appealed to the affected workers to be patient till today to pave way for further consultations and way forward.