Wilson Sossion cautions Knut, explains why he wept

Former Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary-General (Knut) Wilson Sossion has warned that the new Knut leadership could be walking into a trap in pay rise talks with the employer, as he revealed why he cried when he resigned on the eve of elections.

Mr Sossion, a nominated MP, cautioned teachers’ unions against accepting the non-monetary collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in exchange for union dues that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has withheld from unions; crippling their operations.

“I don’t believe in a weak union. You must always put pressure on government. A union that engages in soft bargain will lose the benefits that you have already gained because government will always want to reduce cost,” he told the Nation in an exclusive interview yesterday. He insisted that “if the union negotiators don’t play hardball, they will be outwitted by TSC, which has already weakened the unions”.

New CBA

Negotiations for a new CBA with the TSC collapsed last week after the employer failed to table any monetary offer and only increased the maternity and paternity leave days for teachers.

The commission cited a directive by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to freeze salary reviews for all government employees. The parties are scheduled to return to the negotiating table on Tuesday next week.

Mr Sossion has asked the negotiators to push for a hard bargain.

“You can do it when you have strong support and a front of serious pressure. Stop everything in government so that you’re given attention. If you can’t stop everything even at the employer’s desk, then you’re a functionless union,” he said.

Abrasive style

Mr Sossion defended his abrasive style that has seen him wage battles with the government and the TSC, which he accuses of working to whittle down the union membership from 187,000 to 15,000 in two years. Further, the monthly income from union dues reduced from Sh144 million to Sh15 million.

Following Mr Sossion’s surprise resignation and withdrawal from the race, Mr Collins Oyuu was elected the new secretary-general unopposed. Mr Oyuu is leading the Knut negotiating team. The other unions involved in the talks are the Kenya Union for Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).

On his emotional exit, Mr Sossion attributed it to memories of his humble beginnings.

According to him, he was overcome by emotion and shed tears as he recounted his journey in trade unionism, but not because of quitting the union he had served for 21 years. He said he has no regrets as he recounted his achievements at the helm of the union.

Overwhelmed

“My tears started rolling and I was overwhelmed when I started mentioning the teachers of Bomet. Those were tears of love. Those tears were not meant for everybody. If those teachers did not elect me, I’m sure I’d still be teaching in one of the schools within Bomet. If I was not picked to Knut office, the teachers of Kenya wouldn’t have seen me and given me a national platform. These are the men and women who plucked me from the classroom to come and shape education in the country,” he explained.

Mr Sossion was elected the Knut Bomet branch executive secretary when he was a teacher at Tenwek High School in 2001 and subsequently rose to the helm of the union.

“One afternoon, some teachers came to my house where I was doing gardening because I used to live in school and asked me to think about running as executive secretary Knut Bomet, which I eventually did. I conducted my campaigns riding on a bicycle from school to school for about one month and thereafter, a friend gave me a motorbike. I did my campaigns without money. My opponents were sponsored by the Kanu government. Though I didn’t win in 1999, I was elected resoundingly in 2001.”

Political matters

According to him, workers’ unions should actively be involved in political matters for their benefit. In 2002, Knut campaigned against the ruling party, Kanu, and threw its weight behind the opposition presidential candidate, Mwai Kibaki, who went on to win. “Unions in Africa must now involve themselves in the political activities of their countries, particularly, election of leaders.”

Mr Sossion said that his troubles with the government emanated from a perception that he was too radical but had left the leadership of the union contented with his achievements. He hinted at possibly running for office in next year’s general election. He claimed the government wanted him out of office and considered his brand of unionism dangerous, insisting that he will continue fighting for teachers’ welfare in National Assembly and paying dues to the union.