Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion's tough stance on TSC talks

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has disclosed it will table 'unbending' demands to the Government when its negotiators meet Teachers Service Commission (TSC) officials on Tuesday.

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion yesterday disclosed they have received a letter from TSC inviting them to a meeting where the Government will table its counter-offer.

Speaking at St Mary’s Mixed Primary School in Kapenguria while addressing union members in West Pokot during the county's Knut annual general meeting, Sossion said teachers demand the offer contain an acceptable salary and house allowance for them among other requirements.

RUDE SHOCK

He said union leaders will not sit for the meeting with TSC if their demands are not addressed in the document.

"This is our message to the Government, we are coming for the last meeting on Tuesday. If you are going to table a piece of paper and call it an offer, then you are in for a rude shock. The offer must contain acceptable salary levels for teachers," he said at the meeting also attended by representatives of other sub-branches across Rift Valley and Western regions.

The Secretary General said Knut has 37 demands to make which must be well addressed and vowed to call for a strike if the Government fails to honour the teachers pleas.

He dared the Government to turn down their calls saying they should "expect a rude shock" since the giant teachers union will call for the, "biggest strike ever held in the country".

"Table an acceptable offer without which you should not expect to see teachers in classrooms. Give teachers what they deserve," he said.

Sossion said the union had asked for a 300 per cent salary increase way back in 1997 when the economy was a bit low yet the Government is yet to fulfill its promise.

He called on the Government to invest more in education by hiring at least 30,000 teachers to bridge the 100,000 deficit, including Early Childhood Development tutors and remunerating them well.

In an apparent lash out at county governments, Sossion said only TSC is constitutionally mandated to hire and discipline teachers adding that he had moved to court to oppose governors from taking up the role.

He said teachers must be allowed to do business contrary to earlier proposals that they should not engage in commercial errands.

Sossion further opposed the employment of teachers on contractual basis, as proposed by the Government, and also said the number of pupils should not exceed 35 per classroom.

UNJUSTIFIED CALLS

He criticised the governors' Pesa Mashinani call saying it is a scheme by the county chiefs to remove education services from the Government.

The giant teachers union boss cautioned branch officials to tread carefully when dealing with governors saying they could end up getting duped into being party to their "unjustified" calls for Pesa Mashinani.

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