Knut calls NEC meeting as Sossion’s deputy maintains deal was vital

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has scheduled a meeting of its top decision making organ to discuss a recent deal brokered by President Uhuru Kenyatta that requires parties to withdraw court cases and begin fresh pay negotiations.

Knut’s National Executive Council (NEC) will meet Tuesday. Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion, who has disputed the deal reached between Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the steering committee led by Knut Chairman Mudzo Nzili at the weekend, said Nec will have to meet over the matter.

“We are soon calling a Nec meeting over the issues that arose recently, so that we can chart the way forward,” Mr Sossion told The Standard.

Top of the agenda during the meeting is whether to adopt the deal, an Nec member from Rift Valley revealed.

The member, who asked not to be name because he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the council, said the meeting was also seeking to iron out the differences that emerged.

“There are a lot of issues that are lined up for discussion but top is the recent deal that was brokered by President Kenyatta that has seen cracks emerge among union officials who are of different opinions especially on whether to start fresh negotiations with TSC,” the Nec member said.

Speaking at the weekend in Bomet, Sossion said the deal was not favourable to teachers and was against their demands.

He said calling for fresh negations for a new collective bargaining agreement would mean teachers would lose the 50-60 per cent pay rise that had been awarded by the Employment and Labor Relations court.

“If only we are being told to negotiate on the formula of implementing the 50-60 per cent pay rise, we would go to TSC without failure but starting fresh negotiations is not possible,” Sossion said.

However, Knut Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno defended the State House meeting that was not attended by Sossion.

Union dues

Mr Otieno said the decision to visit State House was informed by the fact that the union’s branches were almost closing down because of lack of funds to run their operations.

“Our decision was informed by the fact that the Government was determined to kill the unions by ensuring non-deduction and submission of union dues. This is the lifeline of our unions. We had gone for four months without the dues and most of our branch offices were closing down with staff being sent home,” he said.

He added that union property acquired through loaning facilities was being threatened with repossession while union co-operative societies, education funds and benevolent schemes were collapsing. He said Knut’s full-time employees had gone for four months without salaries.

“We could not accept to continue with this uncertainty. Had we to wait until the death of the union in order to eulogise and say ‘in that grave lies a hero’ while we could be tactful and survive to continue fighting?” he asked.