Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Teachers reject Govt's Sh17bn offer

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KNUT National Chairman Wilson Sossion speaks during a past press briefing.
KNUT National Chairman Wilson Sossion speaks during a past press briefing.   NATION
By BENJAMIN MUINDI (bmuindi@ke.nationmedia.com)
Posted  Tuesday, July 9  2013 at  11:33
Kenya's teachers have rejected the government's Sh17bn pay offer terming it inferior.
Their union - the Kenya National Teachers' Union (Knut) - also dismissed the government proposal saying it wants the pay increase effected at once, not in phases.
Knut officials led by Wycliffe Omuchei said Tuesday that most of the union’s demands had been left out in the pay offer and rather those of rival – Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) captured considerably.
“Knut is not only dismayed by this offer but also considers this an insult to the teachers. We totally reject this offer and we are asking the government to put a more serious and relevant offer on the table,” Mr Omuchei said during a news conference at Knut's headquarters in Nairobi.
He is now leading the union after chairman Wilson Sossion and acting secretary general Mudzo Nzili were cited for contempt of court.
The union maintains that its agreement entered into with the government in 1997 must be addressed.
“Let us not forget the reason why we have this strike in the first place. We want the 1997 agreement fist cleared before discussing any new deal,” Mr Omuchei said.
The deal, signed 16 years ago, proposes house, medical and commuter allowances calculated at a percentage of an individual teacher's basic pay.   
Early on Tuesday, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) withdrew an application to cite Knut chairman Wilson Sossion and his secretary Mudzo Nzili for contempt of court (READ: TSC withdraws contempt charge against teachers' union).

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