It’s all-out battle as teachers’ pay frozen

• We won’t be cowed: Knut fury over TSC strong-arm tactics to break classes boycott

The teachers are demanding Sh19.2 billion in salary increases effective July 1 for one year, but the government has offered Sh17.3 billion payable in three years from the same date.

On Friday, the Industrial Court restrained teachers from participating in the strike until a team appointed by Labour minister John Munyes to renegotiate the salaries completes its work.

The order effectively cleared the way for TSC to take any action, including sacking or eviction of the teachers from school houses.

Knut officials led by secretary-general Lawrence Majali rejected the team appointed by the minister, saying its chairperson could not be relied on to be a neutral arbiter in the conflict.

They also dismissed the announcement to withhold the salaries as “empty threats”.

But even as it strong-armed teachers and made apparent preparations to sack and replace them, the commission said it was committed to dialogue once the strike is called off.

In response, Mr Majali said: “We shall not allow such cheap acts of intimidation and harassment to be meted on our members.

The ministry and the TSC do not own these houses, and therefore cannot order the eviction of teachers. There are laws regulating tenancy and teachers are rent-paying tenants.”

“As far as we are concerned teachers have not violated any tenancy laws by going on strike and the boards of governors and school management committees should resist misuse by the TSC and the ministry of Education. TSC and the ministry should avoid making a bad situation worse,” Mr Majali said.

“The Teachers Service Commission has always issued these threats whenever we have a strike. This is normal. Teachers are determined to get their money, so telling them about the withdrawal of salaries and throwing them out of their houses will just annoy them. That is mere provocation,” the union boss said.

He said recalling retired and unemployed teachers will not work because they can’t effectively replace the striking ones.

He said the union had not received a copy of Friday’s court ruling and maintained that the strike will continue.

The teachers went on strike on Monday last week after refusing a government offer to increase their salaries in three phases.

The strike entered its second week yesterday in defiance of the court ruling, a Cabinet proposal to have the increase implemented in 25 months and threats from the Ministry of Education.

The strike has mostly affected the more than 200,000 primary school teachers, who did not benefit from a deal reached between the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers and the TSC a week before the strike began.