The Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) has come out in defiance of attacks by its two counterparts Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) on social media over their agreeing to report to work on Monday.
The second phase of the implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is the bone of contention, plus other issues that they had raised before its employer.
Yesterday, KUSNET instructed its members to report to work on Monday when schools re-open after accepting the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) pay deal during a meeting attended by both KNUT and KUPPET.
KNUT and KUPPET on their part have maintained that the strike notice earlier issued is still on until they meet their top organs responsible for calling off the strike, noting that the employer failed to address the other issues on the table.
And now KUSNET in a press statement dated August 22, 2024 and signed by the union Secretary General James Torome has said it is an equal trade union like others, dismissing what they allege to be negativity expressed on social media as divisive.
“The Social Media is awash with unwarranted attacks on KUSNET by KUPPET and KNUT. It is in bad taste and faith for Unions of such stature to paint another Union in such a bad light. It contradicts the spirit of collegiality in fighting and agitating for teachers’ welfare,” said Torome in the statement.
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“KUSNET is an equal trade Union and will not play second fiddle to any other Union. The two Unions alleging that H.E. the President, ordered the TSC to only engage KNUT and KUPPET is insincere, incorrect and stooping too low with an ill intention to divert the teachers’ attention on the key issues affecting them. This is the surest way to bring division and disharmony in the teaching fraternity,” he added.
Torome maintained that KUSNET was at the centre and part and parcel of the negotiations on implementation of Phase Two of the 2021-2025 CBA, which he said will be fully implemented with arrears backdated from July 1, 2024.
He confirmed further that KUSNET has successfully negotiated with the employer TSC on behalf of Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers for the deployment of 6,000 SNE teachers from regular schools to SNE institutions, and offloading their extra work and duties from regular classes.
Others which they have successfully negotiated include inclusion of three categories of teachers living with disabilities in the bracket of teachers earning guidance allowance, and appointment and deployment of 294 Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs) in SNE (who were either head teachers or deputies in SNE schools) in all the sub-counties across the country.
He also revealed that the negotiations for Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) for SNE teachers is currently at an advanced stage.
By Roy Hezron
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