Knut warns of June strike if new NHIF rates are not revoked

NANDI, KENYA: The Kenya National Union of Teachers on Friday warned the national government of a possible strike from Madaraka Day if it does not suspend the new National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) rates.

The teachers union also insisted that the April deductions from workers' pay should be refunded to all contributors failure to which, they will resort to a massive strike beginning June.
"The salaries we get is hard earned and nobody should temper with it without consultation, every worker has been injured. We will check on the May pay and if the rates continues to be implemented, then there will be a massive strike from June 1," said Wilson Sossion, the Knut Secretary General.
He said a wider consultation with other workers unions in the public service have been made and instructed all teachers to boycott classrooms.
Teachers, Sossion said, contribute 60 percent in NHIF and that they should have been widely consulted before the rates that imposed an over 500 per cent rise in NHIF deductions from Sh 320 to Sh 1,700 was effected.
"Everything was wrong about the process of implementing the new rates. We should respect Section 10 of the new constitution that calls for respect to public participation and consultation," stated Sossion.
Sossion added: "I will sign a letter to issue notice of labour dispute, because we want to correct impunity once and for all. There should be no under table deals and everything should be done openly with consultations."
He was addressing Nandi North teachers during the union branch Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Kabiyet Boys Secondary school and was accompanied by governor Dr Cleophas Lagat, area MP Stephen Kirwa Bitok, women representative Zipporah Kering, Knut branch secretary Josephat Serem among other top officials.