A USA-based Kenyan educationist and motivational speaker Dr Vincent Kituku has appealed to the government to find a quick and lasting solution to the planned teachers’ strike when schools reopen for the third term.
Dr Kituku said if the planned strike is not averted, it will impact negatively on the preparations for the national examinations set to commence in October.
He urged the government to move fast and address the grievances raised by the teachers’ unions, including honoring the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) in order to forestall the planned strike.
“Teachers do more than teaching a subject. They transform lives, play the role of parents, big brothers and big sisters and spiritual leaders on a daily basis. At the moment, the employer should honor his pledge as agreed (in the CBA) in order to avert the looming strike,” Kituku told People Daily yesterday.
He also urged teachers to soften their stance and dialogue with their employer to have their grievances addressed instead of resorting to industrial action.
On Monday, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) announced plans to join their Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) counterpart in what could be the beginning of a gridlock that could interfere with learning.
“KUPPET hereby issues a seven-day strike notice for industrial action under section 76 (c) of the labour relations Act 2007 by our members and all Kenyan teachers starting Monday August 26, 2024,” the letter by the union’s secretary general Akelo Misori read in sections.
Among other issues, KUPPET indicated its impending strike will be informed by the government’s failure to fully implement the 2021-2025 CBA which was signed in June 2021 and amended by an addendum in August 2023.
“The CBA is part of the law of the land, having been registered at the Employment and Labour Relations court in accordance with the Industrial Relations Act, the Industrial Charter and the constitution of Kenya. TSC must discharge its legal responsibilities and immediately remit the teachers emoluments for July 2024 including basic salaries and allowances as provided under the agreements,” remarked Misori.
