State calls for talks to avert teachers' strike

By VITALIS KIMUTAI

The Government goes into crisis talks this morning with two rival teachers’ unions aimed at averting the national strike teaching staff threatened to begin on Monday.

The State convened the talks with Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) as uncertainty spread over whether learning in public schools will take off on Monday and Tuesday when most institutions reopen for the last term of the year.

The notice Knut gave expires on Mondy while that from Kuppet ends on Thursday.

It is expected that Knut will hold a National Executive Committee meeting during which the strike will be formally announced.

Already there are reports teachers are being mobilised countrywide to take the drastic action, despite the call to the negotiating table.

Education Permanent Secretary Prof James ole Kiyiapi called the unions to the negotiating table, after reallocation of the Sh5.5 billion meant for the hiring of 28,000 teachers.

According to the plan, 18,060 teachers currently on short-term contracts were to be hired on permanent and pensionable terms, while another 9,040 were to be recruited on temporary basis.

The two unions also insist that the original Sh5.5 billion is Sh1.9 billion shy of what is needed for theexercise.

This was the genesis of the strike threat by Knut and Kuppet, whose anger was targeted at Treasury and Parliament over the diversion of the money initially allocated to hiring of the new teachers to lessen teacher-pupil ratio.

Consultations

Kiyiapi announced on Sunday that high-level consultations between the Government and unions were initiated last Friday, and that a meeting would be held on Monday.

"The demands made by Knut and Kuppet are genuine. The Government and the public are in agreement that this is a big issue and we are seeking for ways and means of sorting out the problem," Kiyiapi said.

Speaking on Sunday morning on arrival from Uganda, the PS said talks between his ministry and Treasury were initiated last Friday to find the money for hiring teachers, a provision not catered for in the recent budgetary allocations.

"We have a shortage of 70,000 teachers, but we do not have the money in the ministry to employ them. We are in discussions with Treasury," Kiyiapi revealed.

The PS called on Knut and Kuppet to give dialogue a chance so that learning would not be disrupted.

"We are reading from the same page with the unions on this issue. This is a matter that can be concluded within a day through dialogue," he argued.

Consequently, the Commissioner of Labour Sammy Nyambari has invited Knut, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Ministry of Education officials to the meeting scheduled for 10.a.m on Monday.

Though the PS gave the impression Kuppet was part of the negotiations, Knut’s rival said it had not been invited, but vowed it would be represented at the talks.

Mr Akello Misori, Kuppet’s Secretary General told The Standard his union not been invited to the meeting at the Ministry of Labour offices, despite having formally issued a strike notice to the Ministry of Labour and TSC.

Not invited

"We understand that the letters were released on Friday, but as I speak with you, we have not received any invitation to the meeting," Misori complained.

Misori explained the union’s members would proceed with their strike upon expiry of a seven-day notice to press for employment of more teachers and harmonisation of allowances.

Kuppet is also demanding that TSC pays salary arrears to teachers who have been promoted to job groups L, M, N and P in the last two years.

They want the employer to harmonise commuter and housing allowances for teachers as agreed in the harmonisation deal signed between the union and TSC in June 2009.

Last Tuesday Knut Secretary General Mr David Osiany, and national chairman Mr Wilson Sossion led officials in issuing the strike notice and serving both Labour Minister John Munyes and TSC Secretary Mr Gabriel Longoiboni.

"It is the union’s position that TSC is under legal obligation to employ teachers under terms and conditions of service as contained in Schemes of Service negotiated by the Teachers Service Remunerations Committee (TSRC)," Osiany argued in the notice.

Osiany said: "We have discussed these matters several times and consensus has always been that employment of trained and qualified teachers on contract is unfair, and that there is urgent need to rectify the Terms of Service for the affected."

They called on parents to support them in fighting for employment of more teachers, while arguing the shortages had compromised efforts to provide quality education in public schools and has given undue advantage to private institutions in performance in national examinations.

"Authentic reports, including that of Uwezo Kenya show that children in class six in public schools cannot read or write due to lack of teachers and increased enrolment rate because of the free primary education" Sossion said.

He reiterated: "We do not want to lie to parents that there is learning in Government schools. Their children are better off herding goats and learning life saving skills due to the shortages of 79,000 teachers in public institutions."

Picketing is legal

The strike is protected by the Constitution and teachers have no fear of being sacked by the employer, as industrial action and picketing is legal after the requisite notices are issued.

"The law is very clear on the teachers strike as the school head-teachers and principals take care of the property and the children, while ordinary teachers stay off work. The law has been followed to the letter on the issue," Sossion pointed out.

"A rogue Parliament has nipped in the bud plans to employ more teachers and improve quality of education in schools in a move that would affect the poor in the society," Misori said.

His Deputy Secretary General Mr Moses Nthurima advised: "We are calling on teachers and parents to brace themselves for difficult times ahead because we are going to be on the streets for a long time."

Over the weekend, Roads Minister Franklin Bett supported the teachers quest for the money, but asked them to follow the right channel.

"MPs fought for their right in Parliament and won, teachers should also take their battle to the Treasury and not Parliament," he said in relation to how MPs managed to go round the constitutional demand of paying tax arrears from the time the new laws were promulgated, though re-allocation of funds.

He was responding to Bomet Knut branch Assistant secretary Mr Malel Langat who on Saturday clashed with Assistant minister Langat Magerer over Parliament’s move to re-allocate the money meant for employment of teachers.