Knut wants government to stop deductions on non-union teachers

NAIROBI: Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) wants the High Court to stop the Government from deducting money from secondary school teachers who are not members of any trade union.

The union wants the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) barred from implementing a legal notice issued on June 23 by Labour CS Kazungu Kambi; requiring teachers who are not members of Knut or Kuppet to have 1.5 per cent of their basic salary remitted to the latter union.

Described as agency fees, the amount is being recovered from secondary school teachers before they benefit from increased allowances negotiated by the unions.

Through their lawyer John Mbaluto, Knut told Justice Weldon Korir to quash the order made by Kambi, saying it contravenes the Constitution.

TSC had notified all teachers in post primary institutions who are not members of any trade union recognised by the commission but benefit from a Collective Bargaining Agreement reached before the Industrial Court on July 17 that they would have their monies deducted starting today.

The union argues that the legal notice was issued in bad faith, contravenes the law and should be nullified. Knut is also seeking orders to stop the implementation of the notice pending the hearing and determination of the case. The deductions will affect 25,053 post primary teachers and 2,000 former Kuppet members who shifted to Knut. Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion told the court that there is no change in negotiations between the union and TSC with the intent of coming up with a final agreement thus the notice was uncalled for.