KNUT STRIKE

The Kenya National Union of teachers is threatening to mobilize its members for a strike over what they term as the reluctance by the government to implementation of the 2009 salary increment.

The union is also protesting over a decision by the teacher's service commission to suspend study leave for teachers with effect from the 10th of May this year.

Addressing a press conference at the KNUT headquarters Wednesday, union secretary General Lawrence Majali said that the government has no excuse for not implementing the rise saying that the country's economy has recovered from the effects of the 2007-2008 post election violence.

At the same time KNUT is up in arms against the Teachers Service Commission's move to suspend study leaves for teachers.

Majali says the union was not consulted before the decision was reached.

In a circular issued to directors of communication nationwide, the TSC says it has suspended study leave due to the acute shortage of teachers in public schools.

The union now wants TSC to retract the suspension orders.

It is also calling on the government to fully implement the remaining 60% of the salary increment agreement by June 1st 2010; failure to it will call for an industrial action.

In March this year, TSC announced vacancies for 1,480 teachers to mitigate the acute teacher shortages.

It stated that the new employment opportunities were aimed at replacing teachers who had left the service through natural attrition.

The vacancies to be filled were mostly in secondary schools, technical institutions and training colleges.

Currently public schools and colleges are facing a shortage of over 65000 teachers.