Feb, 15th 2021 The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), has issued its employer the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), a two weeks notice after which they will go into strike, if they fail to hold new salary talks. KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion wrote to the Teachers Service Commission citing a full-blown industrial action, if they do not review the current salary rates.
The current salary rates which cover 2017-2021 June, was a negotiation where teachers earn a cumulative Sh54 billion. Sossion’s letter to the TSC addressed on February 10th said, “We hereby issue a 14-day notice from the date of this letter and failure of action from your part shall lead to full-blown industrial action.”
Sossion further argues, the unions plea to start negotiations on the 2021-2025 new collective bargaining agreement, is yet to be responded to. In addition to this, the letter by the union boss stated “Despite correspondence dating back to 2019 urging TSC to formally commence and conclude negotiations with us, including the last correspondence, has been copied to you, (there has been) zero response,”.
This comes at a time when TSC has has forwarded salary proposals to Salaries and Remuneration Commission without formally commencing negotiations with KNUT. At the same time, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has also submitted salary proposals after claiming they were not consulted in the decision making on the new salary scales.
The three parties, KNUT, KUPPET and TSC now stand with different proposals with Sossion stating the delay is a breach of laid down laws.