A looming battle between two giant teachers’ unions KNUT and KUPPET has thrown an uncertainty over the proposed teachers’ strike that is due in two weeks time.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) on Wednesday reacted angrily to an announcement on Tuesday by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that it would transfer more than 3,000 teachers by the end of this year. The union asked its 200,000 members not to report to work on January 2.
It said its members would boycott classes until their demands — among them respect for labour rights, professional freedom, and promotion of those who have acquired higher professional qualifications, have served for long, or have exhibited exceptional performance at work — are met.
Knut has since written to Labour Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani informing him of the decision to go on strike. The letter is copied to Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
The strike may lock out more than 10 million learners out of class when schools re-open next month.
Today, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) will meet to deliberate on and issue a formal statement on the matter, although all indications yesterday were that it would not join Knut in the industrial action.
Through secretary-general Akelo Misori, Kuppet said: “No union can stand on the path of an employer’s appraisal system”, adding that Clause 7 of teachers’ employment letters allows TSC to deploy them anywhere in the country.
“The issues raised by Knut do not meet the threshold of industrial action,” added Mr Misori, noting that Kuppet would, for now, focus on issues such as the proposed 1.5 per cent housing tax and the 7.5 per cent pension deductions from teachers.
“We will engage the employer on these issues, and if TSC doesn’t listen to us, we will see what to do,” said Mr Misori.