Teachers demand Treasury input over strike talks
Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Chairman Wilson Sossion during a news conference in Nairobi September 4, 2012. He said teachers wanted representation from Treasury in meetings to end the four-day strike September 6, 2012
What you need to know:
Lack of representation from Treasury has cheapened the talks, says Knut boss Wilson Sossion.
Talks were suspended Wednesday night after government representatives sought more time for consultations.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has said it is dissatisfied with the talks meant to end the teachers’ strike now on its fourth day.
The union, which was set to meet Labour minister John Munyes and representatives from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Thursday, said the lack of representation from Treasury has cheapened the talks.
“There are no meaningful talks going on here without the presence of officials from the Finance Ministry,” Knut chairman Wilson Sossion said on the telephone Thursday.
The union, alongside that of secondary school teachers, Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), will hold talks Thursday.
The talks were suspended Wednesday night after government representatives sought more time for consultations.
The teachers held five-hour long closed door talks with the government at Mr Munyes' office, which did not yield any solution.
Resolve dispute
Addressing journalists after the session, Mr Munyes asked the teachers to justify why they were demanding huge salaries.
“The teachers unions have to justify why they are asking this kind of money, but the government is willing to negotiate and we hope that we will reach an agreement by the end of today so that teachers can resume duty,” he said.
Mr Munyes said the Ministry was capable of resolving the dispute.
“We have so far handled 1,500 labour-related cases with a success of 1,300 of those. We are hopeful that we shall come to an understanding at the end of the day,” he said last night after the first round of the talks.
Knut is demanding salary increments, and other allowances totalling more than Sh43 billion, a share of which was a deal they sealed in 1997 during President Moi’s regime that was partly implemented.
This amount includes a 300 per cent salary increment, alongside responsibility allowance at 50 per cent, 40 per cent and 30 per cent for principals and their deputies, senior teachers and heads of departments respectively.
KUPPET is also rooting for 100 per cent increase for the salaries of its members.
