Planned teachers strike called off

Teachers protest outside Parliament buildings in Nairobi on September 18, 2012 over salaries dispute. Photo/ANTHONY OMUYA  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By NATION REPORTER
Posted  Sunday, February 17  2013 at  17:00

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The planned teacher strike slated for Monday has been called off after the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the government agreed to dialogue and allow Form 1 admissions.

The strike was called off after a lengthy meeting on Sunday between top officials from the Ministry of Education and Knut, which was held at the Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County.

The meeting agreed to initiate the legal process of de-gazetting legal notice No. 16 of 2003 and that Knut and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) shall negotiate the framework for implementation of legal notice No. 534 of 1997.

They also agreed to degazette legal Notice No. 16 of 2003, which will not have any immediate financial implications but will instead facilitate negotiations with the TSC and Knut within the current legal provisions as regards to house, medical and commuter allowances.

The meeting which took about six hours was chaired by the Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo and attended by his Permanent Secretary Prof George Godia.

Also present were Knut National chairman Mr Wilson Sossion, acting Secretary General Mr Xavier Nyamu and National treasurer Mr Albunus Mutisya. TSC was represented by its legal officer.

"The planned nationwide teachers strike shall be suspended pending the outcome of the provisions discussed today," said Mr Kilonzo.

Last Thursday, Knut endorsed the strike after talks between them and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) collapsed.

Mr Sossion had issued an ultimatum to government to pay teachers Sh25 billion in allowances by Sunday or they would stay away from work starting Monday morning.

“We have asked all our members not to report to duty on Monday after the expiry of the strike notice that we issued on Monday,” Mr Sossion said.

He also said that TSC, the Salaries and Remunerations Commission, the ministries of Labour and Education had been served with the strike notice.