The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Kisii branch has condemned the union’s National Executive Board (NEB) for calling off the teachers’ strike without consultation with the National Governing Council (NGC).
The branch Executive Secretary Joseph Abincha, in a statement to branch members, accused the union NEB of betraying teachers by calling off the strike without following due process as enshrined in the constitution.
He said that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had not addressed the confirmation of JSS interns, and remuneration for acting deputies and principals among other grievances they had raised.
“Yet again the NEB has betrayed us after spending a lot of time and resources to support the industrial action,” he said.
Abincha noted that his office is actively seeking clarification on the matter and will keep members updated on any new information as it becomes available.
The executive board abruptly called off the teachers’ strike last evening following a consultative meeting with TSC on Monday, directing teachers to resume duties immediately as they iron out issues they had raised.
The union Secretary General Akelo Misori said that the strike was suspended after entering a tentative agreement with TSC.
“In the ensuing arrangement and in compliance with the court order which is coming up on September 5, Thursday, from the union side, we suspend our strike and ask all our teachers to go back to class pending the speedy resolutions of these matters as already agreed upon between us and the commission,” he stated.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said that the government had successfully implemented all the provisions of the 2021-2025 CBA with the teachers’ unions, specifically the second phase of the CBA which was due on July 1, 2024, assuring that all the arrears had been settled.
She further noted that the government had provided more resources to retool JSS teachers and pledged to iron out pending issues.
By Obegi Malack | obegimalack@gmail.com
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
