By Staff Reporter
Diploma teachers have threatened to quit the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) unless their grievances, which include delayed promotions and allowances, are not addressed.
The teachers say most of them had stagnated in one job group for years.
But union leaders have urged the teachers to remain patient as their plight is addressed.
It also absolved itself from blame saying TSC had advertised interviews for promotions of diploma teachers in April but later canceled the interviews due to Covid-19 restrictions.
The response followed a meeting between the National chairman Omboko Milemba and Secretary-General Akelo Misori and representatives of the teachers.
The group gave the union a 14-day ultimatum to address the issues raised, failure to which they would exit the union en mase and join a rival one.
However, the union took a swipe at the teachers for expecting an “instant coffee like” solution to the matters raised.
“To ask members to exit union without providing a better solution and direction is not only cheap but a pedestrian ambulance-chasing politics and basic antics of primeval sagacity,” KUPPET said in a statement.
KUPPET says some of the demands, such as wanting to be paid the same house allowance as degree holders, were unrealistic.
But the union acknowledges that some of the grievances are valid, although they are not unique to diploma teachers.
“Stagnation at job group C2 is the real and slow promotion of those who have attained Bachelor of Education degree is a fact,” Kuppet posted on its Facebook page.
Citing TSC records, the union indicates that there are 3,174 diploma teachers in C2, 1,480 of who have stagnated in the job group between six to eight years.
The records show that 22,000 teachers in job group L have stagnated for between eight-19 years with another 18,000 stagnating in job Group M.
“For instance, job group stagnation affects close to three-quarters of KUPPET membership with most affected being job groups L and M, where the majority have stagnated for over 10 years,” it says.
The union also argues that the new recruitment marking scheme had considerably lowered diploma scores.
“A successful attempt was made to escalate the issues to the attention of the National Executive Board that received a petition from two representatives at KUPPET HQs,” the union stated in its statement.
It added: “The union, through the office of SG, has already made a communication to the effect that its instruments have been engaged to follow up on the matters raised with the employer and is hopeful of a positive possibility of revisions on KUPPET CBA proposals,” it said.
The affected teachers have also considered sending a petition to Parliament as well as going to court.
KUPPET said negotiations processes under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) had significantly changed and the matters raised by diploma teachers were not unique to their cadre, hence cannot be canvased in isolation.
Consequently, it raises questions if the concerns of the diploma teachers can be discussed in isolation and if it is wise to demand to call for strike over diploma matters before TSC gives its counter proposals on the proposed CBA.
It appealed to the teachers to allow the National Executive Board adequate time to engage relevant authorities.
“We are free to differ in principle but should agree to disagree with civility and drive the agenda of our post-primary teaching fraternity with the grace and charm it deserves,” it stated.
According to the Teachers Service Commission, higher qualification is just but one criterion for promotion, with the other considerations being satisfactory performance and attainment of a minimum of C+ in KCSE and C+ in two teaching subjects.
The Commission said promotions are guided by the Code of Regulation for Teachers (CORT), which states that upward mobility is based on the availability of vacancies.
