Looming: KNUT on the Verge of an Industrial Action

Looming: KNUT on the Verge of an Industrial Action

In a renewed effort to have their demands acknowledged, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is contemplating urging its members to strike just before schools reopen for the third term.

At the Union’s offices on August 6, 2024, KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu explained that the second phase of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has not yet been implemented.

“It is public knowledge that things are not right within the teaching sector. We agreed last year to amend the CBA in two phases. Phase one was paid in July 2023, and phase two was supposed to be paid in July 2024. This has not happened,” said Collins Oyuu.

“A legally binding agreement like the CBA is not being respected, which is why teachers are angry.”

Accompanied by other officials, the Secretary General disclosed that the union had already requested a meeting with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), scheduled for August 7, 2024, to discuss their concerns.

“We have written to the TSC, and this situation may inevitably lead to industrial action,” Oyuu noted.

In line with legal requirements for industrial action, KNUT has issued a strike notice to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour.

If the talks are unproductive, KNUT will convene the national executive council to approve a nationwide strike.

“We can’t keep quiet any longer. The issue of unremitted deductions to banks is troubling teachers,” said the Secretary General, questioning where the promised CBA funds are.

They believe that pushing their demands in the third term will compel the government to address them thoroughly.

The officials expressed that the teaching profession is being neglected and undervalued by the government, and they are frustrated that the TSC has ignored their demands.

“Is it a crime to be a teacher? Is it a sin to be a teacher? If anything, this is a noble profession,” they remarked.

Looming: KNUT on the Verge of an Industrial Action