The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) officials have urged teachers in the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) to join them due to the ongoing impasse between KNUT and employer TSC. Speaking to the press, KUPPET chairman Omboko Milemba said the current disagreement between TSC and KNUT shouldn’t be taken back to the teacher, “Those are individuals playing at their own league but the teacher must be protected because he is serving Kenyans.” He declared that the Union is now taking full charge of the teachers in Kenya.
On his part, the KUPPET national vice chair Julius Korir urged all teachers to join the Union, in order to fully enjoy the benefits of the teachers’ CBA. KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori on Wednesday confirmed that already 18,000 teachers have moved to KUPPET but the union can’t accommodate the influx of people crossing over because of a system problem.
The tussle between KNUT and TSC has been played out in the public sphere, with issues ranging from teachers’ pay rise, performance appraisal and contracting, transfer of teachers among the main factors of the wrangle, which has been taken to court already. TSC has already made it known that it has stopped the pay rise of more than 100,000 teachers who are in KNUT, citing that the pay rise of the 103,624 teachers hasn’t factored Phase Three of the 2017-2021 CBA signed by TSC and KNUT, as the court had ordered that the payroll terms be based on schemes of service. According to the CBA, teachers’ salaries and allowances would be enhanced in phases starting July 2017.
KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion further faulted the move by the teachers’ employer to cut salaries of teachers, warning that teachers won’t resume duty when the third term starts next week.