On Sunday, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Collins Oyuu announced that the union had called off the teachers’ strike, which was set to begin on Monday.
During a press conference, Oyuu directed all teachers affiliated with KNUT to report to schools for the third term following the withdrawal of the strike notice.
Oyuu stated that this decision was made after extensive deliberations by the union’s National Executive Council (NEC). However, despite KNUT’s decision to call off the strike, the National Executive Council of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) maintained that their strike was still on. This indicates a split in the approach between the two major teachers’ unions regarding the planned industrial action.
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Secretary-General Collins Oyuu announced that KNUT’s National Executive Council (NEC) had decided to withdraw the strike action notice, which was set to expire at midnight on August 25, 2024.
He stated, “The NEC has, therefore, today August 25, 2024, agreed to withdraw the strike action notice which was elapsing midnight August 25, 2024, since we have commenced addressing the remaining matters administratively.” This decision allows teachers affiliated with KNUT to report to schools for the third term as scheduled.
Secretary-General Collins Oyuu added, “In light of the latest developments, we direct our teachers to resume duty effective Monday, August 26, 2024.”
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KNUT justified calling off the planned strike by acknowledging that while the union remained firm on its stance that the government was addressing the grievances slowly, sufficient goodwill had been demonstrated to justify the decision.
Among the pressing issues raised by KNUT were the permanent employment of 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers and the promotion of 130,000 teachers. The union emphasized that these demands are crucial for improving the education sector and the welfare of teachers across the country.
When announcing the strike, KNUT had demanded the immediate implementation of the second phase of the 2021/2025 amended Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the prompt remittance of third-party deductions to their respective organizations.
In response to these demands, the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) agreed to address some of KNUT’s concerns by promoting 51,232 teachers. However, the full implementation of the amended CBA is still pending.
KNUT assured its members that the union remains committed to resolving these issues. They emphasized that if the remaining matters are not addressed satisfactorily, they may revert to their initial position and possibly reinstate the strike notice.
“We assure our members that the union is committed to resolve the matters herewith, failure to which we shall revert to the initial position since the strike notice has only been withdrawn,” KNUT stated.
On Sunday, KUPPET’s National Executive Council (NEC) decided to proceed with the strike as planned. The decision was supported by 68 members, with 2 dissenting.
Earlier, on August 13, Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua met with KNUT officials in an effort to avert the strike. During the meeting, he requested that the teachers’ representatives postpone the strike to allow for further negotiations. Despite these efforts, KNUT’s decision to call off the strike reflects their ongoing negotiations and adjustments made in response to some of their demands being addressed.
