Union power persists

University Staff Union General Secretary Constantine Wasonga and National President Grace Nyongesa at the Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi on October 29 / ENOS TECHE

First of all, a big thank you to all the professors who responded to the call from UASU management to put down their whiteboard markers, projectors and flipcharts, to all those who demonstrated under the sun, the cold and the rain, to all those who organized pickets, rallies and placards and, of course, the valiant soldiers led by the Secretary General, Dr. Constantine Wasonga.

These soldiers led the negotiations on the implementation of the ABC. A huge thank you to all the students who showed their support, young and old, thank you.

The ongoing strike by university teachers in Kenya highlights deep-rooted problems in the higher education sector. The strike began after the government gave up on implementing previously agreed salary increases, promotions and improved working conditions under the 2021-25 collective agreement.

The unions’ main demands include a 7 to 10 percent wage increase, harmonized benefits, medical coverage and adequate funding of pensions and retirement benefits.

The Dons are determined to continue the strike until their demands are met. The government’s response has been uneven at best, blowing hot and cold.

It didn’t have to come to this. The speakers are not asking for anything impossible. They want to defend their modest pensions, guarantee fair remuneration for the work actually done, wages that do not require them to struggle to fill up their cars, pay school fees, mortgage or rent bills. , putting a decent meal on the table and minimal contract work. security.

They are not asking for large sums of money, like the salaries of MPs and advisors ad nauseam in high political offices. Speakers do not ask for perks like expense reports or to furnish their free rooms to their liking, the kinds of things that our political class considers it his inalienable right.

The professors are simply asking that the work of those who keep universities running year after year be recognized and that extremely modest measures, extremely modest measures, be taken to keep them in operation.

Strikes should not be rituals but should be seen as targeted actions. Teachers must therefore ask themselves: why are they striking? It would be easy to be discouraged by the inept opinion – the country is under serious budgetary constraints – defended by the employer, represented by the Public Inter-University Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).

It is true that unlike many others, teachers enjoy job security and, by Kenyan standards, a respectable salary, although it might not remain so if taxation and increase unprecedented cost of living continues.

Perhaps professors should just count their limited blessings and keep moving forward or do what one is supposed to do in the face of challenges: let young scholars, early-career researchers, and graduate students fight the battles of their own generation.

Except it’s not just about the speakers or their situation alone. Allowing those in power to take what is theirs – their legitimate wages today or their wages deferred in the form of pensions tomorrow – or basic workplace guarantees is allowing the powers that be to go further. further and faster, to take more, to a growing number of people. in multiple contexts.

It is to associate ourselves with the miserable lie that tells us that national development or the economy requires that the vast majority give up more and more while a national plutocracy takes more and more.

There is no word other than obscene to describe the situation in which such disparity is claimed to be normal, or even desirable. If the speakers renounced their modest claims, it would authorize greater attacks from those who have less means than the speakers.

The stupidity of blatant inequality requires middle-class consent – ​​and for professors to consent to their own conditions is to allow even worse to be inflicted on others.

This would be a relentless race to the bottom, which would also see access to higher education limited and the content of all education controlled to prevent independent, critical thinking or understanding of the realities of life. ‘history.

Indeed, frequent strikes in Kenya reflect systemic challenges in labor relations, particularly in the public sector. Strikes disrupt the education system, delaying exams and diplomas, which in turn affects the economy as a whole by limiting the supply of qualified graduates entering the job market.

Instability also poses reputational risks for Kenya’s education sector, potentially deterring local and international students from enrolling in public universities. From a governance perspective, these recurring strikes highlight the need for transparent and reliable budgetary management, proactive engagement with unions and consistent implementation of collective agreements.

Strengthening dialogue and trust between government and unions could help prevent repeated disruptions, ensuring that educational institutions can operate with stability and fulfill their mandate effectively.