The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has suspended its nationwide strike following a day-long meeting with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Speaking at the TSC headquarters on Monday, September 2, 2024, KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori said that teachers all over the country should resume their duties even as they iron out the remaining issues with the commission.
“From the Union’s side, we suspend the strike and ask our teachers to go back to class pending the speedy resolution of these matters as already agreed upon between us and the commission,” Misori said.
He noted that the teachers are to report for duty with immediate effect even as the TSC and the union continue with the negotiations.
On her part, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia noted that the negotiations between the teachers and the commission had been successful, adding that they had explored alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in the process.
“The TSC has today held a bipartite negotiation with the union with a view to ending the work boycott through alternative dispute resolution as provided for in the recognition agreement between parties. To this end, we are happy to report to the nation that we have reached an amicable settlement which will enable our teachers to resume duty immediately,” Macharia said.
Call off strike
This comes just days after the TSC through its lawyer advised KUPPET to call off the strike in compliance with a court directive should there be any fruitful engagements.
“The commission has also resolved all grievances raised by the union. To this end, in compliance with the terms of the court directive dated August 28 2024 and duly served upon yourselves, it is the commission’s position that the union complies with the court directive and withdraw the ongoing industrial action to enable parties to continue with the bipartite negotiations on any unresolved grievance,” TSC director for legal labour and industrial relations Cavin Anyuor said.
KUPPET had indicated that while TSC had managed to resolve some of the contentious issues they raised, they had yet to address stagnation and career progression matters involving teachers with higher education qualifications.
“The employer has refused to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of teachers who have gone an extra mile to further their education, they have refused to promote these teachers, thereby denying them the dignity and the respect they deserve,” Misori said last week.