The Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) has sought court intervention over a decade’s unfair terms and conditions of service for its over 1098 teachers.
In a notice of summons seen by Education News, signed by the Deputy Registrar at Employment and Labour Relations Court, Kitale, the West Pokot County Public Service Board was ordered to appear in court for mention of a case involving the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) teachers in the county.
“Take notice that a petition has been filed in the Employment and Labour Relations Court in petition no E003 of 2024 in which you are named as Respondent. Unless you file your response within 21 days from the date of service and appear, the case will be heard and determined in your absence,” the notice reads in part.
The notice further added that the case will be between the union vs Salaries and Numeration Commission (SRC) as the 1st respondent, West Pokot County Public Service Board (2nd respondent), and the Attorney General ( 3rd respondent).
This follows an appeal by Samuel Opiyo at the Public Service Commission (County Appeals) Regulations 2022 on August 28, 2024 where the union had gone to court over what they termed as discrimination of the ECDE teachers in respect to their terms and conditions of service.
The board, which is the agency in charge of employment for county public servants, was accused of designating the teachers as senior support staff and clerical officers despite being certificate, diploma, and degree holders, which has seen them earn inferior salaries as they don’t have job groups.
Further, the union faulted the board for serving the teachers with two separate letters of appointment, one issued on July 19, 2022 and the other on June 28, 2024, with both letters issued on permanent and pensionable terms while omitting allowances in the latest letter.
Also, the union revealed that there is a valid scheme of service for the ECDE teachers, which the Council of Governors had approved in January 2021, but the board has continued to subject the teachers to inferior terms and conditions of service with outmost impunity.
By Vostine Ratemo
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