The Kenya National Union of Teachers on Thursday announced a takeover on the employment contract issues surrounding Junior Secondary School intern teachers who are currently protesting across the country.
The union also wants the Teachers Service Commission to recall all show-cause letters it recently sent to the JSS interns' teachers who have not shown up for work.
Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu in his opinion said the teachers "to a wider extent are right."
Oyuu said the protests and impasse between the JSS interns and their employer are affecting millions of learners.
He said the union is ready to superintend the return to work arrangement with the employer on behalf of intern teachers.
"Intern teachers although not employed on terms which make them unionisable, they are associate members as at Article III (15) of the Knut Constitution," Oyuu said.
He also sought that TSC develops a framework that would assist to amicably settle the dispute with interns.
As the interns' strike enters the second week, Oyuu called on all the" demonstrating teachers to report to their work stations immediately as Knut has already taken over the case."
He said no teacher involved in the said demonstrations should be victimised.
The Knut boss said the union has space for interns in the union.
"We would not wish to have them discriminated in any way simply because they have not been employed on permanent and pensionable terms and do not contribute to the union," he said.
Oyuu said the teachers are complaining that the Teachers Service Commission has failed to align their employment terms to the Code of Regulations specifically on part V.
He said teachers ought not to be employed as interns, but rather to be either on contract or on permanent, pensionable terms.
"TSC should never refer to teachers who have trained and qualified as interns," Oyuu said.
Oyuu said he has already engaged TSC over the matter.
Oyuu asked TSC to conform to the Code of Regulations for Teachers (2015) in the recruitment and employment of teachers.
He sought that the impasse between the interns and TSC be settled amicably.
Additionally, Oyuu acknowledged that the matter is before the court.
He urged the interns to swallow a humble pie and "agree to hand over the matter to Knut since the union has already demonstrated the interest to help find a lasting solution."
Further, he noted that the union had earlier suspected that in the long run, TSC would issue the teachers with show cause letters with the intention of commencing disciplinary action against them.
"Indeed, these teachers have already been served," Oyuu remarked.
