NAIROBI: The strike by public school teachers that has been going on for the last five weeks has been called off.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) officials made the announcement Saturday afternoon ending the country’s longest strike in 58 years.
However, KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion said their action just suspended to work boycott for 90 days as was ordered by the Labour and Employment Relations Court on September 25, and by the Court of Appeal on October 2.
“The strike has not been called off, it has been suspended for 90 days, on expiration of that period without the implementation of the 50-60 per cent pay rise the strike will resume,” Sossion said.
KNUT said its decision to suspend the strike was in obedience to the rule of law and chided their employer, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for disobeying the same court order. TSC had been asked not to victimise any teacher and to pay them their September salaries and allowances.
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However, it emerged that TSC had held on to union dues, loan deductions from teachers apart from not paying September salary to most teachers.
Sossion also asked the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to adjust the exams timetable to allow teachers more time to prepare KCPE and KCSE candidates.
KNEC has scheduled KCPE to run from November 10 to 12 while some KCSE candidates have already started their exams.
The union insisted that TSC cannot run away from the 50-60 per cent pay rise it proposed to offer teachers adding that the decision to disown the pact was a result of misadvise from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
“Sarah Serem (SRC’s Chair) is a busy body in the country taking over from the Labour Ministry, the Government should stop listening to her,” Sossion said.
KNUT has asked its members to take up supervision, invigilation and examination marking roles offered by KNEC.
The Kenya Union on Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) also issued a directive to its members to resume teaching from Monday.
