Teachers face further split as new union formed

The teaching fraternity is staring at a major split following the emergence of yet another splinter union.

The National Education Union (Neu) comes after months of turmoil that saw many leave the once giant Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut).

It also comes shortly after a tumultuous leadership change in Knut and the signing of a controversial non-monetary collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). 

The splinter group, whose rallying call is “Service, Justice and Unity”, plans to recruit teachers from pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels, as well as those in private institutions.

This is a major breakaway from tradition, where unions have tended to target membership from only one category of teachers.

Knut draws the bulk of its members from primary school teachers, whereas the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is predominantly a union for secondary school teachers.

Teachers working in special needs schools are catered for by the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet). 

These three unions have signed recognition agreements with TSC. 

Recently formed unions

Other recently formed unions include the Kenya Union of Pre-primary Education Teachers (Kunoppet), which draws its membership from pre-primary teachers, and the Kenya Union of Technical and Vocational Education Trainers (Kutvet), whose formation saw technical institutes’ teachers leave Kuppet in 2018.

Kuppet secretary-general Akello Misori said whereas he is not aware of the union, workers are free to form and join unions of their choice but warned the proponents of Neu of stiff competition.

“They are coming into a crowded area and it will not be a walk in the park for them. Are they coming to create industrial harmony or disharmony? Do they intend to encroach on our members or rubbish our existence?” he posed. 

Kuppet currently has 130,000 members while Knut, which at one point had 187,000 members, is down 15,000. 

However, many teachers – some of who quit Knut – are not affiliated to any union.  

Knut secretary-general Collins Oyuu said the new union will have no impact on their membership. 

“It’s wrong. The world is not ending. If you lose an election, just accept and let others work,” he said, alleging that former secretary-general Wilson Sossion was behind the new union.

Mr Sossion denied a hand in the formation of Neu, but called on officials of other unions to collapse them and “operate under one entity like Neu”.

Rocky relationship with TSC

“Teachers are rebelling. Splinters are formed to fill vacuums. I left Knut and shouldn’t be associated with activities within the teaching service,” he told the Nation.

The Nation understands that another union targeting school heads and administrators is also in the pipeline.

The proposed Kenya National Union of School Administrators (Knusa) is also said to have drafted a 46-page constitution and has also begun the process of registration.

A move by the Kenya National Union of Private Teachers to change its name to Kenya National Union of Private and Basic Education School Teachers (Kupbest) – to enable it to attract public-school teachers – was opposed in 2019 by Knut, which feared losing its members.

Sources told the Daily Nation that the new union has been necessitated by the existing unions’ inability to fight for the teachers’ rights.

Knut has had a rocky relationship with TSC. The ties worsened when Knut was under the leadership Mr Sossion, who was replaced in June by Mr Oyuu. 

At some point, TSC wrote to Knut threatening to cancel their recognition agreement, an action that would have made the union unable to negotiate on behalf of teachers. 

As per the non-monetary CBA signed by Knut and TSC last month, teachers will not get a pay increase for the next four years (2021-2025). This was after annual salary review of government employees was frozen for two years. 

Weaken Knut’s influence

While details on the people behind the formation of Neu remain unclear, the Nation obtained a copy of its constitution, even as sources revealed the outfit’s registration process “is at an advanced stage”. 

The key issues the union says it will address include salary increment for all teachers, reduction of union dues from 1.8 per cent to one per cent of a teachers’ salary and “addressing teachers’ issues without bias”.

Knut had been the sole voice of teachers until the late 1990s, when Kuppet was formed with the assistance of the state to weaken Knut’s influence. The two have been rivals ever since, with Knut recently losing members to Kuppet. 

The new union has also promised that all officials from the branches to the national level will be elected by all members and not through a delegates’ system. 

The union also wants classroom teachers to earn more or less the same amount as the school administrators.

According to the Labour Relations Act 2007, before a new union is registered, the promoters are required to write to the registrar of trade unions and present their constitution.

A Gazette notice is then published to notify the public of plans to register the new union. If no objection is raised, the union is allowed to start recruiting members. 

It is not yet clear if TSC will sign a recognition agreement with the new unions, but the Nation understands they will seek international support from other teachers’ unions across the world.

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