CS Mutua meets KNUT officials to address looming strike

Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has met with officials from the Kenya National Union of Teachers in a bid to call off the looming teachers’ strike announced by the union.

Through a statement, Mutua asserted that the meeting aimed at reaching a consensus on of grievances raised by the teachers over unresolved concerns including the delay in the second phase of the 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which suggests a 7% to 9% salary increment.

He further emphasized the importance of proactive measures to maintain industrial harmony.

“We must endeavor to arrest issues before they fester and lead to strikes. It is my desire to ensure comfort for both employees and employers, not only for industrial peace but also for enhanced productivity,” he said.

KNUT had said its tutors will not go back for the third term unless the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is fully implemented.

The union’s Secretary General Collins Oyuu indicated that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had not yet implemented the second phase of the signed 2021-2025 CBA.

“The KNUT will continue to secure and maintain better terms of condition of service of teachers in this country, we will not leave you behind, we organized this AGM to tell teachers where issues are,” he stated.

Other concerns raised include problems with the teachers’ medical scheme, non-remittance of SACCO and loan deductions, and delays in retirement benefits payments.

The union is also pushing for the permanent employment of intern teachers and the recruitment of 20,000 additional teachers to address staffing shortages.