Lecturers continue strike despite Court declaring industrial action illegal

University Lecturers strike entered its second day Wednesday despite an order by the Employment and Labor relations Court declaring the strike illegal.

Lecturers in public universities in parts of the country took to the streets faulting the government for failing to honor the return-to-work formula signed on the 26th of September.

The government called the lecturers back to the negotiating table on Wednesday in a bid to unlock the impasse.

The directive by the employment and labor relations court  following an application by the inter public universities council consultative forum of the federation of employer declaring the strike unprotected appeared not to deter lecturers in parts of the country.  This was the situation in Kisii University Wednesday.

Academic staff took to the streets in defiance of the court order vowing not to relent until the government honored the return to work formula and to increase their salaries by between 7%- 10%. A similar situation at Tom Mbaya University as dons insist not to call off the strike.

Justice Agnes Nzei in her ruling declaring the strike unprotected barred UASU officials from calling or inciting its members to a strike regarding matters that were subject of negotiations as part of the return to work formula signed on the 26th of September, 2024.

The court also ordered the two parties to return to the negotiating table in good faith, setting the date for date of mentioning of the case on 28th of November, 2024 from 5th November, 2024.