Uasu tells dons to press on with strike over pay cut

 The ongoing stand-off between Egerton University and its dons seems far from over, as the lecturers’ strike entered its third week. 

This comes even as the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) called on the dons to press on, until their demands to have structured salaries is effected. 

Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga said the lecturers will not return to work until the institution fully pays their salaries plus accrued interests.  

The dons are protesting a move by the university to impose a 40 per cent pay cut which was effected in April this year due to Covid-19 pandemic. 

Wasonga noted that the institution’s management was out to frustrate its members, by engaging in unlawful schemes. 

“We shall not accept the university management to continue with its sustained oppression of our members, on the guise that the university has no money to pay them,” he said. 

Current mess

He blamed the institution’s management of financial misappropriation adding that it has been receiving funds from the government, but remains the only public institution to slash its workers’ pay.   

“The root cause of the current mess at Egerton University is bad management and not Covid-19.

The university is reeling under financial crisis because of bad leadership, not the pandemic,” added Wasonga. 

The ongoing stalemate has dashed the hopes of about 2,000 students who were set to graduate in December as no exams have been conducted. 

Jane Njuguna, a fourth-year student, who spoke to the People Daily called on the union and the management, to agree and end the strike saying the same was taking a toll on them.  

The university had blamed the salary cut on reduced government’s recurrent capitation which has dipped by 26 per cent between financial years 2015/2016 and 2019/2020.