Union faults Knut for hardline stance

  SHARE

 BOOKMARKPRINTRATING

From left: Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) national chairman Wilson Sossion, Deputy secretary general Mudzo Nzili and second national vice-chairman Wycliffe Etole Omucheyi at a press conference on June 29, 2013. Photo/ANTHONY OMUYA  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By LUCAS BARASA lbarassa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, June 30  2013 at  13:41

A workers' union has criticised the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) standoff with the government over pay and its handling of tutors strike.

The Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospital Workers (KUDHEIHA) said it is wrong for Knut to take a hardline position on the strike.

“Industrial relations practice globally demands that whenever a worker is aggrieved, foremost he or she is duty bound to embrace upon social dialogue through which the employer is compelled to come on the table and negotiate with a view to addressing the grievances,” KUDHEIA General Secretary Albert Njeru said.

In a statement, Mr Njeru said: “By KNUT resorting to the opposite and insisting on intimidating its employer is tantamount to negotiating with the very employer under duress which is not acceptable and prohibited in industrial relations practice.”

Mr Njeru said Knut officials should “cut themselves to size, swallow their pride and follow the due process in any industrial relations practice and accept that once the employer agrees to sit down with you and negotiate, you should seize such opportunity other than remaining adamant and abusive to the very course the employer has taken.”

“It’s prudent that the Knut top leadership accepts to understand how our enormous industrial relations machinery works and also in the process appreciate the fact that as a worker you should never close your doors to negotiations as intimidation has no rule in industrial relations practice,” Mr Njeru said.

Mr Njeru accused Knut of being ignorant on duties and obligation of any registered trade union “which basically require that you should enjoy a Collective Bargaining Agreement, a document that is internationally recognised other than government recommendations and legal gazette notices.”

“This has been the greatest undoing by Knut top leadership and its time they woke up to reality that other than rely on such documents let them insist on enjoying a CBA with the government as way forward,” Mr Njeru said.

Mr Njeru said union leaders should not be driven by “malice and egoism” in the settlement of disputes.

“Knut leadership should not embrace upon pleasing and attracting political sympathy from both non-state actors and those opposed to the government of the day,” Mr Njeru said.

He said Knut should understand labour industrial stability is the cornerstone of socio-economic development.

He said properly trained and professional negotiators only resort to strike as their last option after dialogue fails “and not wait until every newly elected government is blackmailed to bow down to a non-negotiated items of agenda as has been the case with Knut.”

Mr Njeru questioned why Knut has been calling for strikes every election year and after the polls.

"We should isolate politics from industrial relations if indeed we have to remain relevant and internationally recognised,” Mr Njeru said.

He said Knut should embrace dialogue to end the stalemate with the government over pay.