Collins Oyuu to Wilson Sossion: You resigned, keep off Knut affairs
Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu (center) speaks to journalists during the funeral of the union's Migori branch treasurer Nixon Owilla in Suna West Sub-county on July 9, 2021.
What you need to know:
- A tough-talking Oyuu said Mr Sossion’s recent remarks on pay rise talks amounted to gross interference with their operations.
Collins Oyuu, the new secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), wants his predecessor Wilson Sossion to keep off its affairs as he resigned.
Speaking Friday at the burial of Knut’s Migori County branch treasurer Nion Owilla in Suna West Sub-county, a tough-talking Oyuu said Mr Sossion’s recent remarks on pay rise talks amounted to gross interference with their operations.
On Wednesday, Mr Sosion warned that the new Knut leadership could be walking into a trap in pay rise talks with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), and advised them to be wary of the employer’s scheme.
While revealing why he cried when he resigned on the eve of Knut’s elections, he cautioned teachers' unions against accepting the non-monetary collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in exchange for union dues that the TSC has withheld, crippling their operations.
Mr Oyuu said: “I have witnessed him being interviewed in the media, which I am not opposed to, but I caution him against delving into the union’s affairs. He should address issues [in his capacity as a parliamentarian], not issues of Knut.”
He added: “If we want him we shall talk to him and tell him to come. He should not be a busybody addressing teachers’ issues in the media since he is no longer an official.”
Mr Sossion is a nominated member of Parliament.
Teachers worried
Mr Oyuu said teachers across the county have expressed concerns about Mr Sossion's alleged interference, saying it will jeopardise the talks with their employer.
“Teachers and other stakeholders all over the republic, especially in the region he represented, have raised concern over his continued interference. We will not allow him to continue meddling with the union affairs.
He further said that Mr Sossion’s abrupt resignation ahead of union elections was a clear indication that he had lost interest in addressing the plight of Kenyan teachers.
“He was free to contest if he wanted to continue working as an elected leader in the union but since he chose to resign, his continued involvement in the union’s affairs, without our knowledge and consent, amounts to gross interference, so he should keep off," said the new Knut boss.
‘No soft bargains’
Mr Oyuu, who won the election unopposed after Mr Sossion's surprise resignation and withdrawal from the race, is leading Knut’s negotiating team in the talks with the TSC.
Other unions involved in the negotiations are the Kenya Union for Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).
In an interview with the Nation on Wednesday, regarding the stance Knut should take, Mr Sossion said: "I don't believe in a weak union. You must always put pressure on the government. A union that engages in soft bargains will lose benefits already gained because the government will always want to reduce costs.”
He insisted that "if union negotiators don't play hardball, they will be outwitted by TSC, which has already weakened unions".
