Unions threaten strike if employer appeals ruling

What you need to know:

  • Ministry maintains there is no money to give workers a pay rise.
  • Pay rise for teachers should be effected or brace for grandmother of all strikes, say officials.

Rival unions on Sunday said they would call for a strike if the government delays the implementation of a pay rise given to teachers by the Industrial Court last week.

However, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) have not stated the date.

In separate press conferences on Sunday, Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion, after a meeting of the union's top organ, declared that its members will go on strike should the government attempt to appeal the ruling awarding them a 50-60 per cent pay rise.

Mr Sossion said the teachers would hold dearly to the judgment by Justice Nduma Nderi that rewared them, and would fight any attempts to arm-twist them out of their rights.

“The ruling is a reward from the Almighty God to teachers, and no man should stand in the way. Should anyone attempt to appeal the decision, we would hold the grandmother of all strikes,” he warned.

Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said they would consider a strike at the expiry of the 30 days which the court directed that the teachers and their employer sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“It was a court process. The reward was by a competent jurisdiction. Before the expiry of the 30 days, it would be unnecessary for our members to go on strike,” said Mr Misori in Nairobi on Sunday.

ARREARS REFLECTED

Mr Sossion said there is every indication that the Teachers Service Commission and the Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi would make good their threat to appeal the ruling.

Prof Prof Kaimenyi and commission’s Chairperson Lydia Nzomo have already indicated that the government cannot afford the pay award by the court, which would mean the government would have to fork out an additional Sh72 billion.

Mr Sossion, who did not mince words, said they expected the pay rise to be implemented at the end of this month and all the arrears reflected in the July pay for teachers.

“We expect the commission to call us to a meeting latest tomorrow to sign the agreement so that they can effect the increment including all arrears awarded to teachers by the landmark Industrial Court ruling,” he said.

Knut Chairman Mr Mudzo Nzili also said a grandmother of all strikes would be called should the government decide to move to the Court of Appeal the reward — only the second since 1969 that has favoured teachers in the fight for better pay from the government.

He said the government should not try to manipulate the court process to favour it, saying the Constitution, which recognises the people and their dignity as supreme, had been relied upon in the court decision and should to be respected.

Mr Misori for his part said although they were treating claims that there is no budget to cater for the increased payments as mere rumours, the union’s members were ready for a confrontation if the government negates what the court have given them.