COTU Backs KUPPET Strike, Accuses TSC of Bullying Teachers With Court Orders
The Secretary General of the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU), Francis Atwoli, voiced his support on Wednesday for the ongoing teachers’ strike. During a briefing in Nairobi, Atwoli accused the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of consistently intimidating the striking teachers with unnecessary court orders.
He emphasized his unwavering stance, urging the teachers to persist with the strike until the government met all their demands.
Atwoli argued that the strike was the only effective way to pressure the government into addressing the teachers’ concerns. He asserted that since negotiations had reached a deadlock, the only viable option left was for the strike to continue until a resolution was reached.
Atwoli called upon the TSC to organize a new meeting with the teachers’ representatives to find a lasting solution to the impasse.
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“Negotiations are over so if they do not want to enter into a return-to-work formula, there is only one route which is, the strike should continue,” Atwoli remarked.
Criticism of Court Orders
Atwoli questioned the timing of the TSC’s court order directing teachers to return to work. He suggested that such an order would have been more effective if it had been issued immediately after the teachers announced their strike, rather than after the situation had escalated.
He used an analogy to make his point, comparing the situation to giving an arsonist a court order after the house was already on fire, rather than beforehand.
A day earlier, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) gave its members instructions not to return to work until the government addressed their concerns. Speaking on Tuesday, August 27, the KUPPET Chairperson for the Murang’a branch stated that the strike would continue until the government resolved the issues affecting teachers.
He highlighted that approximately 130,000 teachers nationwide had been waiting for overdue promotions, having participated in interviews for years only to receive negative outcomes.
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The KUPPET chairperson described the situation as unjust, noting that it was unacceptable for teachers to work for over 15 years without any promotion.
He also mentioned that teachers in Murang’a County had commenced their boycott due to the government’s failure to fulfill its promise of a pay raise expected in July.
COTU Backs KUPPET Strike, Accuses TSC of Bullying Teachers With Court Orders
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