Teachers' union issued strike notice as negotiations were going on, says TSC

The crisis in the education sector appeared to deepen yesterday after the Government dismissed a strike notice issued by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and urged parents to send their children to school as scheduled.

In a statement, the Teachers' Service Commission (TSC) said Knut issued the strike notice as negotiations between the two parties were going on. 

TSC said it invited Knut to a consultative meeting on Saturday, during which it will table its response to teachers' demands.

"Both the press advert and the strike notice came as a surprise to TSC as the commission and the unions have been engaged in fruitful negotiations under the Consultative Committee on Terms and Conditions of Service for Teachers that was established pursuant to Section 13(5) of the Teachers Service Commission Act, 2012," said TSC.

"It was expected that negotiations would resume in January when TSC would table a comprehensive document detailing the Government's response. The call for industrial action is, therefore, uncalled for, preemptive, unjustified and unnecessary as the avenues for engagement have not been exhausted," TSC added.

Knut wants a review of teachers' terms and conditions of service and the signing of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as ordered by the Industrial Court.

Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion has insisted that the strike will go on if no agreement is reached and wants teachers to keep away from class come Monday.

"If no solution will have been found you will witness a major strike. Teachers and learners should stay away from schools. We are urging the teachers to save every little coin they have because there will be a major confrontation. It is unfortunate that it takes the solidarity of industrial action to protect benefits that teachers have received. No primary and secondary schools and tertiary schools will be opened come January," said Sossion.

However, in the statement signed by Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni, TSC urged teachers to report to their work stations.

"The Commission further appeals to parents and guardians to prepare and send their children to school as per the Ministry of Education's first term dates," TSC said.

The teachers' employer also sought to assure teachers and parents that the Government was in control of the situation despite the strike notice.

The divergent positions held by teachers and their employer are likely to leave parents and guardians in a quandary and it means that pupils could be in for an extended holiday period if no agreement is reached between now and Monday. Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi has also called for dialogue over the issue.