A Nakuru court has temporarily stopped Egerton University from deducting salaries from Staff members of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) as punishment for being involved in a strike last year.
Allegedly, Egerton University deducted the salaries of UASU members during a strike that lasted three months starting on November 15. As a result, the union members filed a lawsuit against the university, its vice-chancellor and its council seeking an injunction to stop the salary deductions.
The union informed the Employment and Labour Relations Court Justice David Nderitu that the university had illegally deducted significant amounts of money from its members’ salaries, causing them financial hardship amid current economic hardships.
“The respondents are recovering salaries that had been paid to some of the members contrary to the agreed return formula,” stated the union’s secretary Grace Kibue.
According to Dr Kibue, the union urged its members to an industrial strike and hence withdrew its labour from the university effective from November 15, 2021.
Dr Kibue claimed that the university did not honour November 30, 2020, Return to Work Formula (RTWF) and failed to implement a nationally negotiated CBA (2017-2021).
Kibue revealed that on March 4, 2022, the union, national office and university signed the RTWF to end the strike. The formula would be declared as the court’s order.
Kibue said that the university implemented the agreement in a way that was financially detrimental and detrimental to the members’ gross monthly salaries.
However, on Monday, Justice Nderitu restricted the university from further adjusting or deferring members’ salaries, reducing the gross monthly pay to the way it was on November 31, 2021.
“Pending hearing and determination of the application, inter parties, an order is issued restraining the respondents from reducing the gross monthly pay to claimant’s members,” ordered Justice Nderitu.
Justice Nderitu ordered the directive to take effect from the pay period ending the month of May 2022.