Schools reopen amid strike fears

Teachers and their employer are headed for a showdown over salary increases as schools reopen on Monday for the crucial third term.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on Sunday ordered the 288,060 teachers to report to work without fail.

However, defiant union leaders said teachers would only go to school once the 50 to 60 per cent salary rise awarded to them by the courts has been implemented.

The TSC said it had not received any strike notice from the teachers as required by law.

“The commission has not received any strike notice from either the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) or the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

"All teachers are, therefore, expected at their respective work stations from Monday 31st August 2015 performing their teaching and administrative duties,” said TSC head of communications Kihumba Kamotho.

He insisted that the salary dispute was still at the Court of Appeal and teachers should allow the legal process to run its course.

“The only dispute the commission is aware of is the Economic Dispute, which is the subject matter of an appeal in the Court of Appeal,” he said.

Mr Kamotho said the schedule for school term dates had not changed since they were set by Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang.

“All teachers should adhere to the dates given by the Cabinet Secretary for Education,” he said.

National examinations for Standard Eight and Form Four candidates are scheduled for October and November.

'SHOULD KEEP AWAY'

But Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said teachers would not be intimidated as they were demanding their fundamental rights.

Mr Misori said the union had not received any communication from the government on how it was going to effect the salary increases.

“We will not go to school today and teachers should keep away from schools until we give them an update that the money has been paid,” he said.

Mr Misori said teachers were not interested in paralysing the education sector but were only fighting for their rights, adding that for too long the government had not been sincere in its engagement with teachers.

Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion told parents to keep their children at home.

“Parents kindly keep your children at home as there will be no teachers in school unless the government complies with the court order,” said Mr Sossion.

He said the court order must be implemented to the letter, adding that the only language that the teachers would want to hear was compliance with it.

Mr Sossion said the union would not issue any strike notice as they had been properly advised by their lawyers on the issue.