Cotu threatens national workers’ strike if State fails to pay teachers new salaries

Teachers have received massive support from ODM and trade unions in their campaign for more pay even as learning in public schools remained paralysed for the second day.

ODM Secretary-General Ababu Namwamba said the government’s claim that it does not have money was “laughable” given that corruption and waste of public resources was rife.

“The government does not mean well for the country’s teachers. It has no heart when it comes to teachers’ concerns, it has proved to be the number one enemy of teachers in Kenya,” Mr Namwamba told a press conference at the party's offices in Nairobi.

He said ODM, just like the rest of the country, was dismayed by what he said was the mistreatment of teachers by the Jubilee administration.

“We are equally disturbed by the government’s big-headedness with respect to the court’s directive on the 50-60 per cent salary increment to teachers given last week,” said Mr Namwamba.

NATIONWIDE STRIKE

Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said teachers had earned the pay rise and unless the government raised their salaries, they would call for a nationwide workers’ strike.

“This was a hard-earned victory for both Knut and Kuppet and pushing them further through threats and intimidation will not help as Cotu is equally engaging its affiliates with a view to calling nationwide workers’ strike in solidarity with Kenyan teachers whose fight has been a long and painful one ... we vow to stand with the Kenyan teachers,” Mr Atwoli said in statement.

The Trade Union Congress of Kenya threatened to team up with all workers' unions to bring contempt proceedings against the State if teachers’ salaries are not increased.

The umbrella body for unions representing teachers, civil servants, lecturers and other workers said yesterday it fully supported teachers in their demands for higher pay.

TUC Chairman Charles Mukwaya asked the government to respect the Supreme Court and honour the ruling it made on August 24, which upheld a lower court's decision to award teachers a 50-60 per cent pay rise.

“The government must respect the rule of law and the court order, considering the fact that the same court ruled in favour of them after the General Election,” Mr Mukwaya said.

LONG OVERDUE

He said TUC-Kenya had taken up the matter and joined hands with all the teachers in their quest for their dues, whose payment he said was long overdue.

“We advise all teachers to remain vigilant and to immediately withdraw their labour once they are directed by their respective unions,” Mr Mukhwaya said, adding that the consequence will be the disruption of the national examinations scheduled for later in the current school term.

Meanwhile, Kuppet officials remained defiant and maintained the strike was still on after the deadline they had given expired.

Addressing reporters at the union's offices in Nairobi yesterday, Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the members should not wait for a strike notice as this was a continuation of the boycott they started early this year.

“The strike is on, this is the climax of the strike that started in January, teachers should not wait for a notice, instead, they should be reporting to the banks to confirm payment from TSC,” said Mr Misori, insisting that only the TSC can call off the strike by topping up teachers’ August salaries.

Additional report by Stella Cherono