The Kenya National Union of Teachers has said it considers demanding a 500 per cent salary increment for teachers in return for supporting Jubilee next year.
Secretary general Wilson Sossion said they will stop negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement with the government if it will nothave been signed by October, until after the general election.
Speaking at St Elizabeth Catholic Church, Kapseret constituency in Uasin Gishu county, Sossion said after October, the country will be in a political mood and they will not accept a hurriedly negotiated CBA for political reasons. He was accompanied by area Knut executive secretary John Borr.
“We will demand that our money be paid before the elections. If you don’t do it, we are not with you because we have been patient long enough. And we will not negotiate over that because you are either with us or not,” Sossion said.
He said Knut has given a proposal to the TSC that should speed up the signing of the CBA before October. He said negotiations on the deal have not started contrary to claims by the TSC that talks were ongoing.
Sossion added that the union will also have to agree with the government on hiring more teachers before the general election.
The secretary general said he will not accept to be arm-twisted because of tribal politics and let the teachers be frustrated.
“We will not accept to be reminded of our tribes in order to stop speaking the truth. This is because we want a quality life for all teachers and for all Kenyans,” Sossion said.
He said Jubilee has been bragging about its success in education, including the laptops project, but nothing is said about the teachers’ welfare.
