Teachers insist strike still on, even as Gov't disburses Ksh.30B

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) have announced that their nationwide strike set for Monday, August 26, 2024 will proceed as scheduled.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, KNUT and KUPPET attributed the move to the Teachers Service Commission's (TSC) failure to address five critical grievances raised during a meeting held on July 16, 2024 to resolve the planned industrial action and issues affecting the welfare of teachers.

"Regrettably, the Commission has once again failed to address our concerns. The Commissioners brought absolutely nothing tangible in five out of six irreducible demands we have made," the unions said in the statement signed by KUPPET Secretary General  Akelo Misori and his KNUT counterpart Collins Oyuu.

Misori and Oyuu added that the only progress made from the discussions was the immediate implementation of Phase Two of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The Treasury earlier on Wednesday released nearly Ksh.30 billion to the Ministry of Education to support various educational initiatives.

The funding included; Ksh.1.623 billion for the State Department for Basic Education to facilitate free primary education in the upcoming third term and an additional Ksh.14.145 billion to the same department to cover free day secondary education for the third term, and a further Ksh.6.109 billion for Junior Secondary Education for the same period.  

The State Department for Higher Education and Research was also allocated Ksh.5.197 billion for the Higher Education Loans Board and Ksh.2.82 billion for the Universities Fund Board.

"The Commission confirmed that it had received the full budgetary allocation for the CBA. Accordingly, teachers would receive their full benefits and arrears for July in their August payslips. The payroll was to be concluded later today for teachers to receive their salaries immediately, the Commission assured us," said the unions’ bosses.

They however maintained that TSC did not directly address five key demands put forward by the two unions.

Specifically, the unions sought immediate confirmation of 46,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable positions and the promotion of 130,000 teachers who have been waiting for rank elevations after being shortlisted and interviewed for new grades.

Additionally, the unions called for the immediate recruitment of 20,000 new teachers for Junior Secondary Schools, prompt remittance of all third-party deductions and a commitment to begin discussions on the new round of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

"KUPPET and KNUT have exhausted means to have the employer address our grievances in an amicable manner. The TSC has consistently acted in bad faith and has taken us round in circles, leading to loss in trust. Out of frustration, the unions registered a labour dispute under Section 62 of the Labour Relations Act," the joint statement noted.

"Consequently, we issued Strike Notices under Section 76(c) of the Labour Relations Act. TSC pleaded with the unions to call off the strike following the implementation of the CBA, while it addressed the outstanding five years through administrative action. However, the unions held that they would observe the implementation of the CBA beginning today and obtain members’ views concerning the unaddressed issues."

The teachers' union bosses likewise insisted that the decision to call off the strike rests with their respective National Governing Councils and National Executive Councils which will convene to evaluate the TSC’s commitment to addressing the outstanding demands.

"Given the foregoing, the strike notices issued by KUPPET and KNUT remain in force. The unions will mobilise their members, parents and like-minded Kenyans to join the fight for teachers’ labour rights and the rights of Kenyan children to quality education," the unions said.

"We assure all stakeholders including parents and members of the school communities that the strike starting on Monday 26 August is protected under the law. From midnight of Sunday 25 August when the notices expire, all teachers should withdraw their labour until their grievances are fully addressed."

Despite the teachers' unions' stance, TSC, in a subsequent statement, affirmed that is actively reviewing the teacher Career Progression Guidelines and ensuring up-to-date remittance of third-party deductions.

TSC added that teachers can now access both public and private hospitals through the Teachers Medical Scheme and that the government has allocated resources for the retooling of teachers to support the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

Moreover, the TSC highlighted that it has promoted 51,232 teachers through competitive promotions and continues to promote an additional 20,000 teachers annually through common cadre promotions.