Strike enters fourth week as teachers reject pay offer

Teachers on Sunday rejected an offer to increase their allowances in two phases and vowed to continue with the strike until the Labour Ministry gives them a better deal.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) leaders said they had assessed the offer tabled on Friday but decided that it was not sufficient.

“Teachers of Kenya are not happy with their salaries,” Knut secretary-general Mudzo Nzili told a press conference in Nairobi. “A serious employer would propose to pay this at once. I am under instructions from the NEC (national executive council) to say that the NEC would like an improvement on the offer of commuter allowance.”

On Sunday’s meeting had been widely expected to end the strike that has crippled learning in public schools for 21 days. This means the strike called Knut enters its fourth week on Monday.

“We would have liked if the National Executive Council removed the strike, but they (NEC members) have rejected the offer,” Mr Nzili said. “If the government of Kenya will pay commuter allowance today or tomorrow in one go, our teachers will get back to work.”

Knut has been demanding housing, commuter and medical allowances based on an agreement signed with President Daniel arap Moi’s administration in 1997. According to Knut, the government owes the union Sh47 billion.

Last week, the government tabled an offer to improve on commuter allowances in four phases under which the lowest paid teacher would have earned Sh4,000 upon full implementation from the current Sh1,001. The highest paid teacher at group R would have earned Sh16,590 more at the end of the four phases.

Knut declined the offer four days after a rival union — Kuppet — agreed on a return-to-work formula after signing a Sh16.2 billion deal with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

On Friday, the government proposed to implement the offer in two phases instead of four, effective from July 1 and to be completed on July 1, 2014.

Knut again rejected the offer demanding that the money be paid in one phase.

The union also wants housing allowance to be improved arguing that “teachers are surviving in deplorable conditions”. But the government argues it has already harmonised teachers’ house allowances with those of other civil servants.

Under the current proposal, the government could spend up to at least Sh16 billion paying the additional allowances on full implementation.

The union said it would engage the government more from Monday.

Sources told the Nation that some NEC members strongly opposed the idea of calling off the strike before reaching a deal with the government.

“We don’t want to keep going on strike; we want a final agreement that will resolve these issues once and for all. That is why we refused the idea that we go back to work before anything is reached,” said one of the NEC members who sought anonymity to avoid a reprimand from the council.

On Friday, President Uhuru Kenyatta accused Knut of failing to look at the “wider picture” in its demands for higher pay for its members.

“It is very well known that we as a government have been in constant communication with these teachers. I made a public appeal as President that I was ready to sit down and to negotiate with teachers. They went out on strike,” he said.

“Your house allowance is already harmonised with civil servants. If we were to give you that house allowance (you are demanding) what do we do with rest of the civil service?”

Mr Kenyatta said there would be no negotiation if the strike continues and TSC has filed contempt of court charges against the union for failing to obey an earlier court order instructing its members to return to work.

On Sunday, Knut officials said the National Executive Council had given them orders to continue with the strike, despite the threat of jail for disobeying a court order.