TSC, union talks have not collapsed

I wish to register my concern over the coverage and the editorial position of The Standard with regard to TSC and industrial issues.

The editorial ‘Resume talks to avert unrest’ makes very serious and false allegations that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) walked out of salary talks with teachers, even when there was no meeting.

No meeting had been scheduled on Tuesday between teachers or their representatives and TSC. Indeed none took place. So the issue of a walkout by any party can never arise.

As a result of the wrong premise, the editorial cast TSC in the worst light possible, even concluding that “as a result of the walkout, teachers will spill out in the streets to demand pay increase”.

The conclusion in the editorial that “there is no question that teachers deserve a salary increase... and that TSC and unions must urgently return to the negotiating table and come up with an agreeable figure” is pre-emptive, biased and partisan when the parties are in the middle of negotiations.

I am aware an editorial represents the thinking and position of a newspaper.

The substance of the Page One story ‘Teachers may call strike after pay rise talks collapse’ does not in any way indicate that the talks have collapsed. In fact, the letter by Knut Secretary General Sossion which your reporter relied on acknowledges that the talks were postponed.

TSC in postponing the meeting, clearly indicated that the commission “was amenable to a mutually agreed date.” Postponement cannot be interpreted as collapse of the same, no matter how much you stretch the meaning of the word.

Nowhere in the letter by Mr Sossion, which has been referred to, does he say the union will pull out of the salary talks altogether.

The letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Labour in which Sossion has threatened industrial action is in regard to union dues and performance appraisals and not on the collective bargaining agreement.

On Tuesday, Augustine Oduor sent me text asking: “Have salary talks collapsed or why was yesterday’s meeting postponed and no date issued for next meeting?” My reply was “As you have correctly stated, the meeting was postponed.”

It is difficult to talk of ‘collapse’ and ‘postpone’ in the same sentence.

We hope the issues I have raised will be looked into.