Kenya National Union of Teachers has announced another meeting with the Teachers Service Commission to harmonise the rejected collective bargaining agreement.
Knut secretary general Collins Oyuu on Thursday said they had given TSC one week to restructure itself before another meeting. He said the earlier offer given to them had no financial gain to union members.
Oyuu said the union is waking up from a long slumber and they will allow dialogue as opposed to street demos. He announced that after the collapsed meeting over the CBA, he got a summons from TSC chief executive officer Nancy Macharia for a way forward over the impasse.
“We discussed extensively over the CBA and I'm compiling a report to the National Steering Committee on Tuesday. The report shall be rolled out to the national executive on the same,” he said.
Oyuu said they must strike a position that will bring harmony and peace to the labour movement. Speaking to the press in Kisumu, he said he is determined to restore the union's past glory as a formidable voice of teachers.
Oyuu said his main task is to bring back members who decamped to other unions. Currently, the union has a membership of about 15,000, down from more than 200,000.
Oyuu said Knut branches are on the verge of collapsing as there are no funds to operate them. He said it is not a time for blame games but to correct the wrongs and bring the union to its right path.
“We are getting back to where we were. What I want to insist on is that Knut will not be run without the input of the decision-making body, the national executive council,” he said.
Oyuu said the first meeting with TSC under his leadership was an indication that the union is ready to negotiate with the employer. He said most of their members left without getting their approval as clearly stated in the labour laws.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
