Waswa, F.Katana, Gabriel2013-05-142013-05-142008Int. J. Environment, Workplace and Employment Int. J. Environment, Workplace and Employment ; 4(4):45-58. pp.45-58http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/6800Industrial actions represent the climax of unresolved conflicts between employers and employees, and have devastating implications on quality assurance in higher education. Management of strikes in public universities in Kenya has been based on a conventional top-down approach which further undermines the greatly needed quality of human and social capital that is responsible for implementing the university mandate towards sustainable development. Results of this study show that the main causes of industrial actions are poor remuneration and offending disparities within and between employee grades in university and other civil service offices – qualifications and the ability to perform, notwithstanding. This calls for radical rationalisation and restructuring of remunerations and staff placement in the entire civil service, based on a combination of earned qualification and competence for prescribed tasks. Overall, a synergistic and people-centred motivational management system stands out as being a critical basis for strike prevention and enhanced quality assurance. include environmental impact assessment and auditing, corporate social responsibility and agricultural land management. He is also a member of the Regional Eastern Africa Unistaff Alumni Network (REAL) whose aim is to initiate positive change in institutions of higher learning in pursuit of quality in service delivery.enStrikesuniversityrenumerationequitymotivationindustrial actionswork environmentrenumeration disparitieskenyaArticle