ODM leader Raila Odinga yesterday called for an end to the long-standing dispute between the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the teacher’s employer.
In a statement, Mr Odinga asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to appreciate its responsibility to support and protect teacher’s professionalism and their right to belong to a union.
“Knut and TSC must return to the table, go through the rulings of the court and resolutions of Parliament and begin a fresh journey of good faith that benefits all,” said Mr Odinga.
He added that “it is increasingly clear that honesty is [the] missing link in the search for solution to this dispute.
“Parties don’t need to be permanently in court or at war. In fact, the courts have asked the two parties to negotiate,” he said.
According to the former prime minister, Knut membership has shrunk from 187,000 to 23,000 since June 2019. The union, he said, received only Sh15 million against a salary portfolio of Sh80 million for over 600 workers spread across the country.
Before their relationship went sour, Knut used to receive Sh144 million monthly as union dues from TSC. However, the amount has been going down every month and in December, the union received only Sh20 million.
Mr Odinga noted that, despite court ruling against the TSC, there is no indication that it will undertake a full implementation of the 2017-2021 Comprehensive Bargaining Agreement as demanded by Knut and sanctioned by the courts and Parliament.
Mr Odinga said there is also no indication the TSC will restore Knut’s membership register to its June 2019 status.
“TSC has shown no indication to gazette agency fee for Knut in liaison with the Ministry of Labour,” Mr Odinga said.
The call by Knut came as it emerged that over 30,000 teachers who left last year have been promoted from Job group B5 to C1. The teachers have also been paid their CBA arrears by TSC.
The absence of a strong and credible teachers’ union, the ODM leader said, will be extremely costly to the country, making the current efforts against Knut deeply short-sighted.
“The courts and the Parliamentary Committee on Education have pronounced themselves in concurrence loudly and clearly on this dispute, especially in Petition Number 151 of 2018 in which the TSC was the petitioner against Knut,” he said
In December, TSC failed to attend a negotiation meeting called by Labour Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui to mediate the two parties.
TSC boss Nancy Macharia wrote to the CS, asking for rescheduling of the meeting leaving Knut to hold talks with the CS in the absence of the employer.
The world’s largest union federation of teachers’ trade unions, Education International (EI) in December also asked the Kenyan government to intervene and ensure the TSC reverses its anti-union actions against the Knut.
As the union continues to struggle, Knut secretary-general Wilson Sossion has issued schedules for election of 110 branch secretaries, starting tomorrow.
In circular to branches, Mr Sossion said Rift Valley, Eastern and Nyanza will be the first to conduct elections.
The branches that will elect their officials on Saturday include Bomet, Bureti, Baringo, Makueni, Nzaui, Kyuso, Mbooni,Kitui, Mutomo, Siaya and Rarieda.
