By Simon Ndonga
Nairobi — The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has issued a seven-day strike notice to the government due to the scrapping of the annual salary increment for teachers.
Speaking after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, Secretary General Wilson Sossion accused the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) of deceit since it increased teachers’ salaries while at the same time removing their benefits.
He further stated that the Commission has also failed to recognise and compensate teachers who have attained higher academic qualifications.
“This increment is available to the teacher as a matter of right in the law. The increasing schemes of service further governs this entitlement. The schemes of service for the teachers, graduates, non graduates and technical teachers must be upgraded appropriately by the Teachers Service Commission. This has not been done for the last three years and our patience has run out,” he said.
Sossion stated that should the issues not be addressed, teachers countrywide will down their tools.
“We have given a seven day notice that the department which is involved must take care of this matter as quickly as possible so that the program of the Ministry of Education should not be disrupted because that is what will happen on a grand scale,” he stated.
The union also wanted the TSC to discuss recognition of new qualification as contained in the scheme of service for teachers as they want teachers to be promoted on graduation.