Teachers issue threat over pay increase

The Kenya National Union of Teachers warned that it will take “drastic constitutional measures” against the government if their 60 per cent salary increment agreed on is not honoured.

Knut described the delay in implementing the salary increment as a “provocation” and demanded funds be released to facilitate it “before we are provoked further”.

Secretary-general Lawrence Majali said they had agreed that the government would pay 40 per cent of the salary increment in July 2009 and the remaining 60 per cent next month depending on the performance of the economy.

“Due to the effects of the post-election violence and global economic downturn last year, we respected the government and agreed to receive only 40 per cent.

“Now that the economy has improved as everybody can see, we want the government to also respect teachers and pay the remaining 60 per cent,” said Mr Majali.

The secretary-general said teachers had agreed to receive even 40 per cent in July this year and the other 20 per cent in 2011 if the economy was not doing very well.

Mr Majali was addressing journalists in Malindi on Monday, where he also reiterated that Knut will not accept employment of teachers on contract basis.

Cheap labour

He said: “The suggestion to employ teachers temporarily is a government ploy to engage cheap labour from trained and qualified teachers. We will not accept it”.

He said the government should stop referring to the teachers as interns as they had been trained and qualified.

Money should be released to the Teachers Service Commission to employ the teachers, he insisted.