KUPPET SET FOR STRIKE TUESDAY AS RUTO ASKS UNIONS TO SEEK TALKS OVER PAY DISPUTE The strike called by one teachers’ union is expected to start in public schools on Tuesday despite efforts by senior government officials to stop the industrial action called to protest against pay. Deputy President William Ruto convened an urgent meeting with Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and top Treasury and education officials to find a way to pre-empt the strike called by the Kenya Unionof Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), which is expected to start later on Tuesday. After the meeting, Mr Ruto urged the teachers’ and lecturers’ unions to engage thegovernment to find a lasting solution to theirsalary demands. He also directed the Teachers Service Commission to hold talks with the Kenya National Union of Teachers, which is yet to set a date for its strike but whose officials said they had exhausted all avenues for dialogue. The Deputy President also promised lecturersthe Sh1.8 billion they have been demanding. A lecturers’ strike is planned to start on July 1. “The government will honour the agreement reached with university staff and Sh1.8 billion will be provided. There is no need for them to continue planning the strike as their funds will be available as agreed,” Mr Ruto said. Last evening, however, Kuppet defied the request not to go on strike and told its members to stay away from classrooms today. Kuppet chairman Omboko Milemba said the union had not called off the strike. “We are urging our members to remain at home until the National Governing Council meets to decide the way forward,” Mr Milemba said. According to him, the dispute between the union and TSC was yet to be resolved. Later yesterday, Cabinet Secretary for Labour Kazungu Kambi asked Kuppet officials to call off the strike after meeting them in his office.He said he had appointed Assistant Labour Commissioner P.W. Macharia mediator between the union and TSC in a move to prevent the boycott. In a related development, Knut officials said they had exhausted all avenues for dialogue and were just waiting for members’ allowances to be increased. Led by chairman Wilson Sossion, Knut officials told a press conference at the union’s offices in Nairobi that its leaders would meet to set a date for a national striketo protest against the failure by the government to allocate money to raise their allowances as agreed in 1997. “All governments are the same. They never listen. They wait for a crisis and if that is what they need we will definitely give them in style,” Mr Sossion said. “We presented our grievances to the Teachers Service Commission, the parliamentary Education and Budget committees but they did not factor in our requests.” Mr Sossion insisted that Knut leaders were ready to call a strike “anytime from now” butsaid its National Executive Council will first meet to clear the way for the boycott. He declined to say when the executive council would meet. Secret weapon “The NEC meeting is a secret weapon for us. We will not tell you the date but it will be soon,” he said. Legal Notice 534 of 1997 — which tasked the government to increase teachers’ hardship, special, house, medical and commuter allowances — has been the bone of contention between the union and previous governments. So far, six national strikes have been called topush the government to honour the notice but to date only hardship and special allowances have been increased.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:40:57 +0000
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