Teachers’ Strike Endorsed By Top Union Officials
Teachers’ Strike set to start August 26, 2024 has been endorsed by the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) top officials.
The KUPPET top decision-making organ comprising of the National Executive Board members and all the branch executive secretaries has today endorsed the teachers’ strike after the government failed to meet the demands they had initially raised.
The demands are; immediate implementation of phase 2 of 2021-2025 CBA, confirmation of 46,000 JSS interns, employment of 20,000 new JSS teachers, immediate disbursement of overdue funds for teachers’ medical scheme and adjusting allowances for teachers.
Teachers’ Strike Endorsed By Top Union Officials
KUPPET Kisii branch Executive Secretary, Joseph Abincha, said that this decision comes after extensive deliberations and consultations by the union’s top organ which met on Thursday 15, 2024.
“After exhaustive deliberations, consultations and careful considerations, the National Governing Council of our union has unanimously resolved to take industrial action against the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the government,” said Abincha in his address to branch members.
According to Abincha, the union’s decision to go on strike is a reflection of growing resentment over enduring problems that the government and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) are claimed to have ignored.
This was not an easy decision to make. It is the result of years of disrepair, unfulfilled promises, and a flagrant indifference to the needs and rights of our members—those who commit their lives to fostering the future of this nation—Abincha said.
He underlined that the strike is a reaction to unsolved issues that the teaching profession is facing, such as ongoing payment delays despite rising living expenses and unfulfilled CBA pledges.
Abincha also emphasized the general discontent caused by the reports that many instructors are stuck in their current roles with no obvious opportunities for future progression.
Teachers’ Strike Endorsed By Top Union Officials
The strike, according to the official, is a “call for respect, fairness, and justice” that seeks to resolve these persistent problems.
In order to address the complaints, he asked the government and the TSC to hold honest talks.
He said, “We want to be clear that this strike is a call for respect, fairness, and justice for all teachers in this country as well as better pay and working conditions.
In addition, he made a plea for sympathy and support from the public, parents, and children, presenting the walkout as a move to protect education going forward.
We have asked the government and TSC to come back to the negotiating table genuinely committed to resolving the issues at hand.
Abincha cautioned that the industrial action could be avoided if meaningful dialogue is initiated promptly.
