TSC Wants To Terminate Agreement With KNUT Signed In 1968

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) issued a notice to Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) terminating its recognition agreement with the once-mighty teachers’ union.

The teachers’ employer said in the notice that KNUT has been given two months to terminate the recognition agreement since it (KNUT) does not meet the required 50 percent membership threshold.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Clause 2 of the Recognition Agreement existing between TSC and KNUT and section 54 (1) of the Labour Relations Act, 2007, TSC hereby issues a two-month notice to KNUT to terminate the Recognition Agreement. KNUT does not have the simple majority of unionizing employees under the employment of TSC as of November 4^th, 2019,” read the notice.

KNUT has been the voice of teachers for decades, fighting for teachers’ rights and even presenting itself as a threat to the government, for fearlessly speaking against the government’s treatment towards teachers.

However, TSC’s notice to the teachers’ union means that KNUT has been stripped off its rights to defend teachers as it no longer has any attachment with the teachers’ employer.

It means that to TSC, KNUT is nonexistent, and will not participate in Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA). Henceforth teachers’ agency fees will be paid to KNUT’s rival union KUPPET.

KNUT officials too are not recognized by TSC and will have to go back to class as ordinary teachers as those who have attained retirement age will be expected to go home.

TSC’s move to revoke its agreement with KNUT comes shortly after the commission deregistered Wilson Sossion who served as KNUT’s Secretary General since 2013.

On his part, Mr. Sossion said that TSC was biting more than it could chew by asking KNUT to terminate its Recognition Agreement.

According to him, the reason why KNUT does not currently meet the required threshold is that TSC resorted to fighting the union and inciting teachers under KNUT’s umbrella to dump the union and join KUPPET.

Sossion said that as at now, TSC has worked to remove 18,000 teachers from KNUT’ register, making them join Kuppet and reducing KNUT’s numbers to less than the required 110,000.

“This union has been in existence for decades. The agreement has been there since 1968. Why would TSC come in 2019 to dictate the leadership of the union? They have started a war they will not win,” said Sossion.

Here is a letter said to be from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)