Teachers seek more influence under Cotu

The Kenya National Union of Teachers yesterday led its more than 200,000 members into the giant Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) as an affiliate.

Knut joined the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), which has about 80,000 members, into the organisation which has more than two million members.

“The role of any union is to fight for the rights of its members and by joining Cotu we want to strengthen the avenues of quality bargaining processes. We envisage to have thorough bargaining processes for the benefit of our members,” Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said in Nairobi when he received the affiliation certificate.

He said Knut has a collective bargaining agreement of four years although the International Labour Organisation standard is two years.

“We cannot go it alone as Knut and we must work within this arrangement. Checking and regulating fair labour practices will highly strengthen Knut, which has been struggling alone,” Mr Sossion added.

WELFARE

He said the giant organisation is capable of improving working terms and conditions; and encourage the principles of development and a good relationship between employees and employers.

“I categorically state that whether through negotiations for better salaries and enhanced terms of employment, or through tough measures such as court action or teachers' strikes, Knut has shaped the relations between the Teachers Service Commission and teachers. As we partner with Cotu, we shall continue pushing workers' agenda through the same course,” he said.

He said Knut has been and will continue to be teachers' strongest voice and that it will be a formidable force in the fight for workers' rights with the support of Cotu.

STRENGTH

Knut, which was formed in 1957, joined Cotu in 1965 but was forced out by the government which said workers in essential services could not belong to the organisation.

Mr Sossion was behind the formation of the Public Service Trade Unions (Pusetu) - now TUC-Ke - as the umbrella body for civil servants and whose launch in 2014 was attended by four Cabinet secretaries.

However, leadership wrangles hit the congress last year, forcing Knut, which was housing, it to pull out and kick it out of its premises.

Mr Atwoli said: “The government must listen to us now. The future and destiny of our country will be determined by working men and women.”

Mr Atwoli hinted at plans to have Knut and Kuppet work together, saying they serve the interest of teachers and ought to be under a single labour movement.