Strike
Embu KUPPET and KNUT Governing Councils have completed plans for the countrywide teachers strike slated to commence on Monday, August 26.
In a joint briefing on Thursday, the leaders said there was no turning back in regard to the industrial action called by the council’s top organs. In their call to action, the branch councils’ officials warned that any of their members who will defy the directive will be treated as a traitor.
They also asked parents not to send their children to school as no one will be responsible for them. “We are asking teachers across the county to stay at home or engage in other personal activities until such a time when they will get another directive from us,” said KNUT Executive Secretary Josphat Kathumi.
Alongside his KUPPET counterpart Rogers Murimi, they said the strike will go on until all their grievances with regard to implementation of the second phase of 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are addressed.
Some of their grievances include failure by the employer (TSC) to promote 130,000 teachers shortlisted during December 2023 interviews, delay in employing 20,000 new teachers and non-remittance of third-party deductions. Others are, failure to remit capitation to medical insurers, and delay in converting 46,000 JSS and primary teachers to permanent and pensionable terms.
“In light of this development, we hereby instruct our school representatives to ensure that all teachers refrain from accessing school premises starting from 26th August until further notice,” said KUPPET Executive Secretary. They also called on teachers working in private schools to take the cue from them and agitate for better terms.