Kuppet registers dispute with Labour ministry ahead of teachers’ strike
Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary-General Akello Misori. The union has registered a labour dispute with the Ministry of Labour ahead of the planned teachers’ strike.
What you need to know:
- If the strike happens, it will disrupt the administration of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exams.
On Tuesday, Dr Mutua announced that he had met with the leadership of Knut over the strike issue.
The unions have also demanded the TSC to convert all 46,000 teachers currently employed on contract to permanent and pensionable terms.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has registered a labour dispute with the Ministry of Labour, a key stage ahead of the planned teachers’ strike on August 26, 2024, just as schools prepare to reopen for Third Term.
The union wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Labour Alfred Mutua, laying the reasons for the dispute and said that it has been unable to amicably resolve differences with the employer – the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through social dialogue.
If the strike happens, it will disrupt the administration of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations and other assessments in primary and junior schools.
“The Union has exhausted the means to have the employer address the grievances including through retreats, correspondences and demand notices. Only the cabinet secretary can force the employer to address the members’ grievances within a realistic time-frame of seven days, failure to which the union will call its members to a nationwide strike starting on Monday, August 26 2024,” reads the letter signed the secretary-general of the union, Okello Misori.
Kuppet has a membership of about 140,000, mainly drawn from secondary school teachers and tutors in post-primary institutions. There are about 370,000 teachers on the TSC payroll, some of whom belong to the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut).
On Tuesday, Dr Mutua announced that he had met with the leadership of Knut over the strike issue.
The two unions issued a joint press statement where they threatened to call a nationwide teachers' strike if their grievances were not addressed by the TSC. They had earlier submitted their demands to the commission.
“The commission has duly noted the issues raised in the said letter and will revert to you once internal consultations are finalised,” reads a reply signed by the TSC director for legal, labour and industrial relations, Cavin Anyuor.
Teacher promotion
Among the issues raised by Kuppet and Knut include: the implementation of the final phase of the 2021 – 2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the promotion of over 130,000 teachers, negotiation on a new CBA that the unions say should factor in post-graduate allowances, per diems for games teachers, risk allowances for science teachers, special duty and acting allowances for teachers not substantially appointed.
The unions have also demanded the TSC to convert all 46,000 teachers currently employed on contract to permanent and pensionable terms. They have also asked for the employment of 20,000 more teachers to plug the staffing gaps in junior schools.
Dr Mutua met the Knut steering committee led by the secretary-general, Collins Oyuu at the ministry headquarters in Nairobi. The CS said that the parties will meet in a week to review the progress made in resolving the dispute.
“Even though the government is facing a cash crunch following the rejection of the Finance Bill, 2024, I will meet with the TSC leadership to address the issue, and we should be able to find a solution within the next week,” Dr Mutua assured the unionists.
He added that he would also engage with the Kuppet officials in a bid to resolve the issue.
“The meeting reflects our broader government efforts to ensure that the interests of workers are safeguarded and that industrial relations remain cordial. I assured the union leaders of my commitment to finding swift resolutions to these issues and pledged to collaborate with my Cabinet colleagues and other relevant government bodies to address their concerns,” Dr Mutua later posted on his official X page.
Government expenditure
Last week, President William Ruto signed into law the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2024, which reduced government expenditure plans for the 2024-2025 Financial Year by Sh145.7 billion. The cuts affected various sectors, including the Executive, Parliament, and the Judiciary.
However, Sh18.7 billion was allocated for the confirmation of 46,000 intern teachers, Sh30.7 billion for the capitation of junior school learners and Sh23 billion for universities under the differentiated unit cost funding model.
Additionally, Sh31.3 billion was allocated to the Higher Education Loans Board for scholarships and loans, with a further Sh17 billion earmarked for the University Fund to provide scholarships to university students.
Knut's first national vice chair Malel Langat, warned that the TSC would be in contempt of court if it failed to implement the CBA, as the document is legally binding and had been signed by Knut and TSC leadership.
“In the appropriation of the funds, the first item on the table should have been the money for the implementation of the CBA, which provides for salary increments for teachers in this country,” Mr Langat emphasised.
