Hard times ahead as Kenyan unions call rally, warn of strike in support of teachers

Central Organization of Trade Unions - COTU Secretary Francis Atwoli during a press conference in which they issued a seven day strike notice if Government fails to obey a court order in respect of teachers’ wages. Photo: WILLIS AWANDU

 

NAIROBI: President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration faces the nightmare of mass protests by public sector workforce. This development should worry any leader because of the disruptive and recessive effect industrial action portends for the economy and national security.

The teachers’ strike was last evening building up into a bigger crisis that threatens to shut down the public sector after giant trade unions with mass membership threatened to join protests to press the Government to honour the 50-60 per cent salary increment for the teaching force. Central Organisation of Trade Union (Cotu) and Trade Union Congress of Kenya (TUC-Ke) have asked their members to join teachers today for a meeting at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, the first in a series of planned mass protests.

Tuesday, Cotu, the umbrella body for 41 affiliate unions representing workers from various sectors, gave the Government a seven-day strike notice upon whose expiry they would call out their members to join ongoing industrial action by teachers and nurses.

TUC-Ke, which draws membership from teachers and civil servants’ unions, has backed the tutor’s quest for the pay rise ordered by the courts, but which the Government has rejected; arguing there is no money to finance the Sh17 billion payout.

In a letter communicating the strike notice addressed to acting Labour Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo, Cotu cited the Government’s disregard of the Supreme Court order on teachers’ salaries, continued strike by nurses and the unprecedented proposed lay offs of 40,000 civil servants, among grievances.

“Matatu Owners Association, Kenya Airways, and county workers will be joining us. There will be no water and power. No one should even try to go to work that day,” warned Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli about the strike scheduled on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) appeared to be running out of legal options to block the pay rise.

It wrote to the Supreme Court in a bid to withdraw the latest application that sought a review of its orders declining to block the teachers’ pay rise.

In a letter dated September 7, TSC told the Supreme Court it was unwilling to pursue the matter as the court had already indicated that the motion set before it would eventually not be allowed.

This morning, the defiant teachers, supported by colleagues from other sectors who want the Government to honour the sweet deal to open the door for similar wage increase demands, will gather at Uhuru Park, the venue associated with watershed freedom campaigns.

Although organisers of the meeting describe it as a prayer rally, it is expected to be a platform for blistering attacks on the Government and officials perceived to be an obstacle to their pay rise.

 PRAYER PERMIT

Central Divisional Police Commander Paul Wanjama announced that the teachers had notified his office about the meeting. “We are aware of the letter they left in the office notifying us about the planned meeting at Uhuru Park. We are planning how we will handle it in terms of providing security because it is their right,” said Wanjama.

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion revealed they had secured the permit for what he termed the ‘mother of all prayer meetings.’

“All workers in Kenya will come together in solidarity. If they thought that workers cannot enjoy freedom of association, let them wait for tomorrow (today) morning,” said Sossion, who is also the TUC-Ke secretary general.

He said members of Kenya University Staff Union, University Academic Staff Union, Union of Kenya Civil Servants and dockworkers unions shall attend.

Atwoli said President Kenyatta’s government had become insensitive to the plight of workers. “There is no government in the world that goes against court orders. Rule of law requires total obedience to the law. President Kenyatta is driving this country to anarchy,” Atwoli said at a press conference.

He said instead of the Government coming out to discuss the way forward with teachers, it was issuing sacking threats. “I even tried to reach the President himself through the Ministry of Labour, only to be told he is out for an official visit in Italy. President Kenyatta’s government is the total opposites of his predecessors,” said Atwoli.

 CORRUPTION CLAIMS

He said massive corruption in the Government had contributed to the workers’ plight. “As we speak now, nearly Sh30 billion of workers’ money from the National Security Social Fund is being transferred to secret bank accounts to serve luxurious government expenditures. Recently, Sh2.5 billion was transferred from National Bank to Kenya Commercial Bank without any approval,” he claimed.                        

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Secretary General Akelo Misori said: “They have continued to whip up public emotions that they cannot pay teachers.”

Tuesday, TSC Chairperson Lydia Nzomo said they had written to the Treasury informing them of the court decision. “We wrote to the Treasury and they wrote to us, saying there was no money,” Nzomo said in an interview with KTN.

“TSC requests for funds directly from the Treasury. By the time we got the court order, the budgetary allocation of Sh174 billion had been given,” said Nzomo.

But Sossion countered: “When the court awarded teachers the money, they decided to appeal and also moved to the Supreme Court.”

TSC said it had already issued three warnings and that “whatever happens now shall be disciplinary action.”

TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia warned that any teacher who continues to participate in an ‘unprotected’ strike will have definitely exposed himself or herself to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.

And to enforce the commission’s warning, TSC county directors have been sent templates of the discipline letters to issue to anyone who has deserted duty.

The letter read in part: “The commission has taken note that you have failed to perform your teaching duties with effect from... You are required to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for negligence of duty.”