18,000 teachers dumped Knut as a competitor because of the impact of salary increases

More than 18,000 school principals and school representatives have resigned from the giant Kenya Union of Professors (Knut) in the past three weeks due to the impact of salary increases which should take effect in July.

Senior teachers, who have joined the Kenya Post-School Teacher Education Association (Kuppet), are among those who are earmarked for a raise of 13 billion in the third phase of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

DUES UNION

This was when efforts to resolve the dispute between Knut and the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) edged up on Tuesday.

ODM leader Raila Odinga and the Ministry of Labor increased efforts to reconcile the two parties, who have returned to the Labor Court to hear disputes over unpaid union contributions of Sh138 million.

School administrators moved to Kuppet because it was not part of a court dispute which resulted in the cessation of CBA implementation for Knut members.


The Knut official from Nyanza requested Mr Odinga's intervention to help overcome the extremely cold relationship with the TSC. Six branch executive secretaries, four members of the national executive board (NEC) and one chairman met with Odinga in his office on Capitol Hill Square.

Rachuonyo executive secretary Eliud Ombori led the team.

Odinga spokesman Dennis Onyango said in a statement that the meeting took place at the request of Knut officials. He said officials sought Odinga's advice and intervention to discuss the differences between Knut and TSC, which had withheld Knut contributions for two months.

NEGOTIATION

Trade union officials also want Mr Odinga to intervene in the ban of 280 teachers, including Knut officials, earlier this year, because he missed a day's training on Competency-Based Curriculum.

Embrace negotiations

Odinga promised to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table, but asked Knut to embrace negotiations before turning to strikes.

"I urge unions to end internal squabbles and focus on serving members," he said.



Meanwhile, Knut officials yesterday were divided over whether the union's National Executive Board meeting scheduled for Thursday would continue or not.

Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion said the meeting had been canceled to allow negotiations to resolve the deadlock. However, some officials vowed to continue the meeting, with the suspension of Mr Sossion being the only item on the agenda.

"We follow the union's constitution. We request a meeting and provide adequate notice. We are in accordance with Article 9 (3), "said NEC member Michael Muna.

BENEFIT RECIPIENTS

He added that the constitution allows them to convene and make binding resolutions, if the secretary general fails to fulfill their requests.

However, some officials who supported Sossion denied the legality of the meeting and called for dialogue.

"They have the right to continue, but it will not be a meeting. They do not understand the constitution of Knut. The secretary general has the responsibility to cancel the meeting if he is aware of a problem," said NEC member Dan Oloo.

On Tuesday, Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said the union had received 18,000 new members from Knut. He said those who joined were the principal, their representatives, the principal and their representatives.

During the signing of the CBA, the administrator was the main beneficiary of the Sh54 billion four-year salary agreement.

The Ministry of Manpower in its August 26 letter and addressed to the TSC Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Macharia, said that they were aware of the dispute.

CHANGED

"As demanded by the main government institutions