Knut’s top organ approves strike amid salary talks

What you need to know:

Knut's Wilson Sossion says delegates would ratify the strike proposal after the National Executive Council agreed to the tutors withdrawing from work.
Mr Sossion accuses the government of intentionally delaying the negotiations saying the union had attended 24 meetings without any success.
Union is opposed to job evaluations for teachers.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has summoned its officials to a national delegates conference, setting the stage for a possible strike at the start of the year when schools re-open.

Knut called for the delegates meeting scheduled for December 9 after its top decision-making body supported the pay protest.

The secretary-general, Wilson Sossion, said delegates would ratify the strike proposal after the National Executive Council agreed to the tutors withdrawing from work.

“We have come to conclusion that the government is reluctant and non-committal and dragging its feet on the issue of pay talks and we will be tabling the proposal for endorsements so that we can have a national strike,” said Mr Sossion.

“We will continue engaging the government as we activate the strike option because we are being taken for a ride.”

He accused the government of intentionally delaying the negotiations saying the union had attended 24 meetings without any success.

READ: Teachers’ strike looms as talks collapse

Mr Sossion said Knut will on Thursday next week attend yet another meeting convened by the government.

He said the union is opposed to job evaluations for teachers.

READ: TSC to launch performance appraisals for teachers

“We are also asking the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to keep off salary talks. The government is using SRC, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the ministry of Education to scuttle the talks,” said Mr Sossion.

Teachers are demanding a salary increase of about 150 per cent, down from 300 per cent, and commuter allowances that match those of the civil servants, at 10 per cent of the basic pay.

The SRC has advised the government against increasing teacher salaries by 50 to 60 per cent as earlier been proposed by the TSC as this was going to cost taxpayers Sh50 billion in a pay deal that was to be staggered over three years.

TSC had proposed allowances including Sh18 billion for leave and Sh10 billion for teachers’ housing.

SRC maintains any salary increments must take into account the financial impact and the effect on other sectors of the public service.

The current teachers wage bill stands at about Sh161.1 billion.