Reprieve for KNUT as TSC Caves and Calls for CBA Meeting

After rejecting the Kenya National Union of Teachers’ (KNUT) first call to harmonize the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Teachers Service Commission has caved and called for a meeting to deliberate on the same.

As established by The Star newspaper, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia informed KNUT Secretary-general Collins Oyuu about a meeting that will be held on July 13^th, 2021 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi.

Among the agendas of the upcoming meeting will be preliminaries, declaration of conflict of interest, and negotiating and signing of the new CBA that will stretch from 2021 to 2025.

In June this year, TSC opened talks for a better pay deal for the teachers after the resignation of the former boss Wilson Sossion who stepped down for political reasons.

The Union of teachers had earlier on given the TSC a notice of seven days to clear their demands failure to which they were planning to go on a nationwide strike. This was after the meeting between the two parties failed to bring a consensus despite the new KNUT leadership.

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Mr. Misori had also said that the actions of the TSC indicated that it had been working with the SRC to frustrate the teacher’s demand for a salary review adding that TSC was offering them a CBA with no monetary benefits and using the COVID 19 pandemic as the excuse.

Seven days later, the TSC has responded to the Union’s call and has made arrangements for a meeting to deliberate on the 2021 – 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The new Secretary-General of KNUT said that the earlier offer given to them did not provide any financial gain apart from concentrating majorly on maternity and paternity.

Oyuu who took office immediately after the resignation of former chair Sossion will oversee the negotiations for KNUTs side while Akello Misori will lead the KUPPET delegation for the Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers.

“We discussed extensively over the CBA and am compiling a report to the National Steering Committee on Tuesday. The report shall be rolled out to the National executive on the same,” said Oyuu.

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The Kenya Union OF Special Needs Education Teachers under the leadership of James Torome will also be part of the negotiations planned on Tuesday next week.