Sossion tells TSC to return 80,000 tutors on Knut roll
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary general Wilson Sossion has demanded the reinstatement of more 80,000 teachers who he claimed “were forcibly, unlawfully and maliciously” removed from its membership register.
Sossion said the failure to deduct union dues from the teachers had starved the union of resources and crippled its operations.
“This is a strong indication of a wide and well choreographed strategy to kill Knut,” Sossion said at a press conference at Knut headquarters in Nairobi.
Sossion said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was running two payrolls contrary to provisions of the TSC Act 2012, Employment Act and International Labour Organisation Convention 95, which prohibit discrimination and reduction of pay.
He said Knut had already alerted the Labour and Social Protection Ministry about the anomaly, even as the union demanded that TSC respects the law and Collective Bargaining Agreement and run one payroll in the teaching service.
“Introduction of two payrolls as TSC has done is in gross violation of 2017-2021 CBA whose pay was awarded by Salaries and Remuneration Commission and not the Commission,” Sossion said.
Contentious issues
The union boss said TSC had interfered with gazettement of agency fee by the Ministry of Labour and has been remitting it to Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) but denying Knut.
He said TSC must heed the Employment and Labour Relations Court and meet the teachers union before Christmas to iron out contentious issues.
“TSC must address teachers demands, without which industrial peace will be a mirage and we will contemplate on whether to resume work in January or not.
TSC has defied over 10 court rulings this year,” Sossion said, during a press conference held at Knut headquarters.
Sossion also said TSC should reinstate unconditionally over 280 teachers who were either interdicted, suspended or sacked for protesting against the Competency Based Curriculum teacher training programme.
On the appointment of headteachers, principals and deputies, Knut said it should be based on minimum entry point as outlined in the Schemes of Service and Code of Regulation of teachers and not on Career Progression Guidelines.
Minimum entry
“TSC should not set the standards for headteachers and principals which are superior to requirements for TSC commissioners as this would be illogical and unsustainable.
The minimum entry to teaching service automatically applies to appointment of headship,” he noted.
The union said textbook policy introduced in 2016 by the Ministry is undermining teaching and learning in public schools noting that it is entirely the duty of a teacher to select textbooks for learners and not any other authority.
Knut has called for the need to revert to the old system of Orange book saying centralised procurement of textbooks has led to supply of poor quality textbooks with errors.
New CBA
Knut also seeking a meeting with TSC to negotiate the proposed CBA memorandum saying the current one ends in 2021.
In the memorandum, Knut has proposed a basic salary for job group B5 teachers raised from 21,756 to Sh65,268 effective July 2021 and Sh87,024 from July 2022.
It wants C1 teachers salaries raised to Sh81,585 effective July 2021 and to Sh108,780 from July 2022 while C2 be moved to from Sh104,865 and Sh139,820 respectively, within the same period.
For the highest paid teachers in Job group D5, they will be earning Sh131,380 as at June 30, 2021, but Knut is seeking a raise to Sh289,036 and Sh394,140 effective July 2021 and July 2022 respectively.
The union has also proposed an annual increment be awarded as from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023 at an average rate of 5 per cent.
Knut proposes that housing allowance for all employees be adjusted by 50 per cent effective July 1, 2021.
