Knut has accused the Teachers Service Commission of engineering its destruction and imminent fall.
The union also complained of a scheme by the Teachers Service Commission to offload union membership. The union receives dues of 110,000 members, a decline from the 187,000 members as at June this year
Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion yesterday said this has hurt the day-to-day operations of the union. Sossion was speaking in Nairobi during the end year media briefing by Knut.
He said the teachers’ employer wants the union dead. “If you want to cripple a union, simply cut off its resources and that is what TSC has done... We cannot even support our payroll. It is a miracle that we are still united,” Sossion said.
For the first time, the union failed to hold its annual delegates conference and Sossion said it was due to lack of funds. “The business of the TSC this year has been how to destroy Knut,” Sossion said.
In July and August, the union did not receive its dues and from September, its dues were slashed by close to half after a decline in membership. “Teachers of Kenya and members of Knut have been denied their labour rights and voice for a whole year as TSC failed to comply with the rule of law by defying court orders,” Sossion said.
In the coming year, Knut hopes to successfully negotiate a new salary deal as the current one expires in June 2021.
Sossion also urged TSC to start negotiations on a new teachers’ salary deal to fast-track its completion.
Further, the union wants the transfer of teachers under delocalisation policy stopped.
Sossion also called for teacher promotions to be pinned on schemes of service rather than the career progression guidelines. A court order is already in place in favour of Knut on the matter.
