Teacher unions clash again over fresh demands

By Vitalis Kimutai

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education (Kuppet) have yet again locked horns over fresh demands on salaries and allowances for teachers.

On Thursday, Kuppet issued a 14-day strike notice to the Teachers Service Commission, demanding 100 per cent pay rise in salaries, commuter and house allowances.

It only came a few days after Knut warned their members would down tools following the failure to factor in money to employ more teachers in the Budget Finance Minister Njeru Githae presented in Parliament last month.

Kuppet chairman Omboko Milemba and Secretary General Akello Misori said the decision by the Government to increase salaries for civil servants and leave out teachers was unconstitutional.

“It was a mockery on the teaching profession by the Government to fail to harmonise salaries for civil servants. We would not accept it. We shall ensure our demands are met,” Milemba said. He said the Government should harmonise commuter and house allowances for teachers and those of the civil servants.

The union claims civil servants in the same job group at the lower cadre with the teachers earn Sh10,000 more in allowances.

“We are demanding that the commuter and housing allowances for teachers be ratified as agreed in a deal signed between Kuppet and TSC in June 2009,” Milemba said.

The union has written to the Salaries Remuneration Commission, Ministries of Education, Labour, Finance, and TSC on the demands. While Knut is demanding employment of more teachers, Kuppet thinks otherwise, saying the Government should address the interest of the more than 200,000 teachers in the TSC payroll first before others are recruited.

“We should not mix issues here. What we are calling for is a 100 per cent increase of salary and arrears for teachers under the TSC payroll. It is sad the Government only understands the language of strike,” Misori said.

In effect, parents should brace themselves for the looming crisis in the third and last term of the year should the stike threats materialise. Wilson Sossion, Knut chairman, and David Osiany, the secretary general, said their members would go on strike to force the Government to employ 80,000 more teachers to meet the demand following rise in enrolment.

“We will withdraw teachers from schools very soon because we have persuaded the Government to engage us in negotiations to no avail,” Osiany said. Osiany said teachers were working under harsh conditions yet they were underpaid.

Knut is demanding 300 per cent pay rise, which it wants immediately implemented to cushion teachers from inflation.

Sossion said the Government should offer 50 per cent responsibility allowances, 40 per cent for head teachers and 30 per cent for principals, deputies, senior teachers, and heads of departments. Kuppet, at the same time, wants teachers with Post-Graduate Diplomas to be paid 40 per cent on top of their basic salary in recognition of their professional certificates.

Kuppet Vice-Chairman Julius Korir, Treasurer Mwethi Njenga, his deputy Ronald Tonui, Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima, and Edward Obwocha, the secretary in charge of secondary schools made the demands.

Hardship pay

Tonui and Obwocha said the responsibility allowances for Heads of Departments should be increased by 100 per cent. “The hardship allowance should be pegged at 40 per cent of the actual salary paid by TSC,” Obwocha said. Korir said the union was demanding that tutors in teacher training colleges and technical training colleges be paid training allowances, attachment and teaching practice allowances.

“We also want teachers who were promoted five years ago to be paid their arrears immediately. It is illegal and a violation of the rights of the teachers to continue withholding the money,” Njenga said.

Obwocha said teachers should be paid leave allowances equivalent to one month’s basic salary annually as is the case with other civil servants.

“We cannot afford to be talking of teacher shortages over the years yet the Government is not acting on the matter,” Obwocha said.

In the budget, the Government only factored in money for employment of 10,000 teachers despite demands for employment of 40,000 teachers as demanded.

Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo said unions should be patient. “Strike should not be used as the ultimate solution,” Mutula said while speaking at Ilula Mixed School for the disabled in Uasin Gishu County. Mutula said: “I am ready to welcome teachers to my office for dialogue because we all want our education system to be more efficient.” Gabriel Lengoiboni, the TSC chief executive officer, said the shortage of teachers could be addressed if about 10,000 teachers are recruited every year for the next five years.

“We are talking with the teachers’ union and they say we continue recruiting teachers,” Lengoiboni said. Last year, Knut and Kuppet were involved in a standoff when they called for a strike to press the Government to employ 28,000 teachers who were on contract. They separately met Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta who was then Finance Minister, and the then Education Minister Sam Ongeri for negotiations.