TSC staff down tools to protest interdiction of union officials

By Rawlings Otieno

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) employees engaged police in running battles at the headquarters in Nairobi.

The employees under the umbrella body of Union of Kenya Civil Servants (UKCS)-TSC Chapter downed their tools yesterday following issuance of interdiction letters to the chairman Fred Odero, Eliud Mapesa (secretary) and Kemunto Nyambane (treasurer).

Others also interdicted by the management are Solomon Oloo, David Kamau and Joseph Mugwere, all members of the union.

The employees demanded, working conditions on the third floor of the building to be improved, salaries increment be awarded according to the management guide, interdiction letters against the officials be revoked and discrimination among the employees stopped.

Odero demanded withdrawal of the letters. "We are demanding that the interdiction letters be withdrawn unconditionally, and we are not going to work until our issues are solved," he said.

He said during a meeting last April the management agreed to address employees’ grievances but that has not happened.

Management guideline

Odero confirmed that the mother union had received the unremitted dues contrary to reports by TSC.

"They are saying that we have not remitted the dues, but as we speak the mother union has confirmed receiving the un-remitted funds in the union’s Cooperative account," he said

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers Secretary General Njeru Kanyamba said he was optimistic that a solution would soon be reached and called for dialogue.

In 2008, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta, approved a structure for promoting civil servants and issued a management guideline to be used in promoting the workers from one job group to another.

The union officials alleged that those who held the position of secretaries were all promoted to the position of directors with an upgraded salary of Sh400,000 to Sh500,000 per month.

The rest of the staff were told to wait until funds are available, a factor that has fuelled protests.

Leave premises

The union officials were accused of diverting funds meant for UKCS to the Chapter Funds after disagreeing with the mother union.

The union accused the management of diverting attention from issues affecting its members, adding that TSC and the umbrella union are two different entities.

Addressing the striking employees, TSC Commission Secretary, Gabriel Lengoiboni, said that they had met and resolved that the interdicted officials leave the premises immediately and asked those who were not willing to work to follow suit.

He directed Milimani OCPD Milimani Bernard Muli to ensure all the striking workers leave the premises.

Meanwhile, Parliament has asked Basic Education Minister Sam Ongeri to make a full disclosure of employee discontent at the TSC following reports of a strike.

Temporary Speaker Gitobu Imanyara asked the minister to issue a statement next Wednesday after Migori MP John Pesa sought a ministerial statement yesterday on the cause of the strike, what the minister has done to address the situation and if the strike has affected the education sector and students.