Inside Knut’s Decision to Halt Teachers’ Strike: Real Reasons

Inside Knut’s Decision to Halt Teachers’ Strike: Real Reasons

The recent appointment of a conciliator in the ongoing dispute between the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) significantly altered the dynamics, affecting the union’s stance on the teachers’ strike.

This strike marked the first under President William Ruto’s administration and saw Knut diverge from the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet).

Behind the scenes, the Ministry of Labour intervened by appointing Mr. Richard Litaba, a senior officer, last Friday. This move disrupted Knut’s strike plans.

Ms. M. Muli, the Industrial Relations Officer at the ministry, issued a letter—MLSP/LD/IR/TU/5/1—addressing Knut and TSC in response to the union’s previous communication dated August 14th, 2024.

In the letter, the problems were listed, such as not implementing the second part of the 2021–2025 amended Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and not sending third-party deductions to teachers’ groups.

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Other problems included the promotion of 130,000 teachers stuck in different job groups and the conversion of 46,000 junior school teachers to permanent and pensionable terms.

The failure to remit funds to the medical insurer, which resulted in the denial of medical services to teachers and their families, was another critical issue.

Union’s Response

In response to the conciliator’s appointment, Knut’s leadership convened consultative meetings, culminating in a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sunday.

Concerns that allowing the conciliator to intervene could allow the TSC to delay the implementation of the CBA led to the decision to call off the strike during this meeting.

The delay would have resulted in the August pay slips not reflecting the benefits outlined in the CBA, instead backdating them to July 1, 2024.

Knut’s Secretary-General, Collins Oyuu, reportedly spent considerable time persuading NEC members to support the strike’s withdrawal, seeking assurances that TSC and the government would uphold their commitments.

Potential Risks and Historical Lessons

Knut officials exercised caution, learning from previous instances where overly ambitious demands resulted in the loss of salary increments.

One official cited the time under former Secretary-General Wilson Sossion, when TSC offered a 35% salary increase, but the union insisted on over 50%.

Meanwhile, TSC payroll officers were on standby, ready to process teachers’ pay slips over the weekend if the strike was called off sooner.

“We expected the unions to call off the strike earlier to enable us to process the pay slips, but it took longer than was expected for the truce to be called,” a senior TSC official said.

Senior officers had also been preparing for the implementation of salary increments at a retreat in Machakos County following the unsuccessful talks between TSC, Knut, and Kuppet.

Results and Future Discussions

Following the strike’s cancellation, TSC committed to reopening negotiations with Knut in September 2024 for the 2025–2029 CBA.

Observers noted that the government’s anxiety was evident, as Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Mgosi Ogamba quickly issued a statement praising Knut’s decision to call off the strike.

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There are indications that the government’s actions may have been part of a broader strategy to create divisions among the unions, especially given that Kuppet had voted to continue with the strike just hours earlier.

Inside Knut’s Decision to Halt Teachers’ Strike: Real Reasons

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