KUPPET has filed a labour dispute with the Ministry of Labour ahead of the planned teachers’ strike on August 26, 2024, two days before reopening of schools for Term 3.
In a letter addressed to Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, the union outlined the reasons for their strike, stating that it has been unable to reach an amicable resolution with the employer the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through social dialogue.
If the strike occurs, it will disrupt the administration of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams as well as other assessments in primary and junior school.
“The Union has exhausted the means to have the employer address the grievances including through retreats, correspondences and demand notices. Only the Cabinet secretary can force the employer to address the members’ grievances within a realistic time-frame of seven days, failure to which the union will call its members to a nationwide strike starting on Monday, August 26, 2024,” reads the letter signed by the Secretary General Okello Misori.
KUPPET boasts a membership of approximately 140,000 members consisting of secondary school teachers and tutors in post-primary institutions. Of the roughly 370,000 teachers on the TSC payroll, some are affiliated to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
Yesterday, August 13, Dr Mutua stated that he had held discussions with the KNUT leadership regarding the strike.
The two unions released a joint press statement, warning of a nationwide teachers’ strike if their grievances were not addressed by the TSC. They had previously submitted their demands to the commission.
“The commission has duly noted the issues raised in the said letter and will revert to you once internal consultations are finalized,” reads a reply signed by the TSC Director for legal, Labour and Industrial Relations Cavin Anyuor.
The issues highlighted by KUPPET and KNUT include: the implementation of the final phase of the 2021-2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the promotion of over 130,000 teachers, and negotiations for a new CBA that the unions argue should include postgraduate allowances, per diems for games teachers, risk allowances for Science teachers, and special duty and acting allowances for teachers who have not been formally appointed.
The unions have also urged the TSC to transition all 46,000 teachers currently on contract to permanent and pensionable status. Additionally, they have called for the hiring of 20,000 more teachers to address staffing shortages in junior schools.
Dr Mutua met with the KNUT steering committee headed by Secretary-General Collins Oyuu at the ministry headquarters in Nairobi. The CS announced that the parties would reconvene in a week to assess the progress in resolving the dispute.
“Even though the government is facing a cash crunch following the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024, I will meet the TSC leadership to address the issue, and we should be able to find a solution within the week,” Dr. Mutua assured the unionists.
He also mentioned that he plans to meet with KUPPET officials to work on resolving the issue.
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By Frank Mugwe
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