Teachers fight bid to stop July salary

Teachers on Sunday protested against government plans to stop July salaries for those who took part in the just-ended nationwide strike, saying the move would be illegal.

Through their union, they told the government not to think of taking even a single cent of their salaries purportedly to finance the recruitment of new teachers and pay allowances secured during the strike.

At the same time, the Kenya National Union of Teachers chairman Wilson Sossion said they had already written to the Teachers Service Commission to pay the salaries by July 31.

Mr Sossion said the move by to stop the July salaries was against the Employment Act and contravened a return-to-work agreement it struck with the government before calling off the recent strike.

“We are demanding that Teachers Service Commission wires the teachers’ salaries in full including the negotiated allowances,” he noted.

Mr Sossion said the government should admit that it was broke rather than raid the teachers’ payroll to raise revenue to employ new teachers.

Teachers in the country, he maintained, will take drastic measures should the government fail to pay their salaries.

“We shall not allow the government to engage in unfair practices ranging from criminalising the legitimate industrial action and teachers’ leadership, and illegally deducting teachers’ emoluments for July,” he declared.

Speaking to journalists in Bomet, Mr Sossion said the Constitution gives workers the right to go on strike and hence it was illegal for the government to subject teachers to servitude by withholding their salaries and criminalising their strike.

On Saturday, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said teachers who went on strike would not be paid their July salaries.

“If you miss to go to work, there are consequences. You only get rewarded for your service,” Dr Kipsang said in Eldoret.