The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) on Monday issued a message of support for the worldwide day of action against war this Friday.
SAFTU stated: ‘SAFTU supports the Istanbul Declaration adopted by dockworkers’ unions at their international meeting in May 2026. Its message is clear: dockworkers must not be made a link in the chain of war.
‘SAFTU calls on dock, harbour and port workers and their unions in South Africa and across Africa to join the International Day of Action against War and the Militarisation of Ports on 30 October 2026. We urge our affiliated unions to discuss the declaration with workers, build solidarity with dockworkers internationally, and organise collective action in our ports.
‘Our ports and transport infrastructure must not be turned into instruments of military aggression, occupation or genocide. Workers should not be compelled to load or move weapons and military cargo used to kill civilians and devastate communities. We demand an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people, an end to occupation and apartheid, and an end to wars and blockades that punish working people.
‘The Istanbul Declaration also speaks directly to the conditions dockworkers face every day: unsafe workplaces, exhausting schedules, subcontracting, insecure jobs and low wages. While governments pour billions into armaments, workers and poor communities bear the cost through rising prices and deteriorating living conditions. We support the call for safe work, decent wages, secure jobs, strong collective agreements and a shorter working week.
‘SAFTU calls on workers and unions across Africa to strengthen cooperation between ports and to resist the use of our continent’s infrastructure in wars against working people. Our ports must serve the people and their needs, not the war plans and profits of the powerful.’
- Univervisty lecturers have accused the government of failing to honour its promises to them, as the ongoing strike enters the fourth week.
Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji has also criticised the government over the ongoing lecturers’ strike, calling for the implementation of a negotiated agreement to allow teaching to resume.
Speaking in Kirimari on Monday, the legislator said the government should honour its commitments to university lecturers instead of allowing the dispute to continue disrupting learning in public universities.
Mukunji said: ‘We want the government to honour the agreement that they have with the lecturers ndio warudi kufunza shule.
The MP expressed concern that strikes had become a recurring feature in the education sector, with teachers and lecturers repeatedly resorting to industrial action to demand what they consider their rightful entitlements.
Mukunji questioned why the government had not implemented the agreement before the strike began, arguing that early action could have prevented the current disruption.
‘What happened to the government going ahead and implementing the agreement before the strike?’ he asked.
He insisted that lecturers must be allowed to enjoy their employment rights and faulted Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba for what he described as a lack of a public response to the crisis.
The nationwide strike by public university lecturers and non-teaching staff began on October 2, 2026, following a dispute over the conclusion and implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The unions say negotiations for the new CBA have stalled, with the government yet to provide an offer they consider adequate and a binding commitment on how the agreement will be funded.
They are also demanding the full settlement of Ksh7.9 billion in outstanding salary arrears accumulated under previous agreements, including the 2017-2021 CBA.
The unions have rejected proposals they consider insufficient, insisting that the government must resolve the outstanding issues rather than leave university employees in prolonged uncertainty.
The dispute has exposed tensions over the cost of the proposed agreement, the source of funding for staff remuneration and the pace at which commitments made during earlier negotiations should be fulfilled.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has appealed to university staff to resume teaching, saying the government is willing to continue discussions over outstanding issues under the 2025-2029 CBA.
On October 23, Ogamba said the government was consulting the National Treasury to improve its financial offer after the unions rejected the proposal on the table. He also urged lecturers to allow negotiations to continue without further disrupting students’ education.
The standoff has increasingly drawn students into the dispute, with University of Nairobi students staging protests and warning that they could join the lecturers’ industrial action if the government fails to intervene.
Students have raised concerns over missed lectures, uncertainty surrounding examinations and graduation dates, and the additional costs of remaining in university accommodation or travelling home during the disruption.
The prolonged strike has also put pressure on universities to reorganise academic calendars, with some programmes facing greater challenges in recovering lost learning time.
The students’ threat to join the strike adds another layer of pressure on the government and university management to reach an agreement with the unions.