Union officials speak out on why court was best chance for teachers

Kenya: The main teachers’ unions are optimistic the outcome of pay negotiations under the arbitration of the Industrial Court because among the contentious items on the table would be the basic salary category the Government had rejected. It also emerged a demand that a new deal is back-dated two years would be included in a common memorandum that the two unions are required to file in court by Monday.

Kenya National Union of Teachers' (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers' (Kuppet) officials explained they were confident that the historic arbitration of the protracted pay dispute by the Industrial Court presents the best opportunity for a salary increase for their members. "Even if we are given Sh1 as salary increment, then it shall be fine because what the teachers wanted is a basic pay rise," said Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion.