KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion confirmed yesterday that the union will oppose TSC mass transfer and delocalization plans which will be rolled out in April.

Sossion claimed the delocalization policy was sneaked in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report which he said is what TSC is using to institute the schools’ management shake-up.

Through a writing to  the BBI secretariat, Sossion said: “The policy was not proposed by Kenyans but was unjustly sneaked into the report to drive TSC’s agenda of delocalisation of teachers.”

“If TSC executes massive delocalisation of teachers in April, then it shall be met with collective industrial action to safeguard our families and the teaching profession.”

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The BBI report proposed that the Ministry of Education adopts policy guidelines that discourage local recruitment and staffing of teachers, depending on the circumstances.

“To strengthen social ties and promote unity among all the communities, stakeholders recommended that the Ministry of Education reviews the curricula to introduce and integrate the teaching of national unity, character, and cohesion to learners during their formative or early years,” says the report.

Even as unions rejected the delocalisation and transfers, TSC has always insisted that the transfers were in line with the provisions of the code of regulations for teachers and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) signed between TSC and their unions.

“The Commission finds it an act of dishonesty and deceit on the part of the unions’ leadership to continue making public pronouncements calculated at misleading the same teachers the leaders are supposed to guide,” Macharia said.

The mass transfers and the delocalisation exercise has been a bone of contention between TSC and Knut.

In 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Education to review the TSC policy on mass transfers.

“I am aware that delocalisation has created some unforeseen challenges that have affected some teachers,” said Uhuru.

Defending the transfers, Macharia said transfers and delocalisation were negotiated and signed by the two teachers’ unions and documented in the CBA.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers, KNUT, has threatened to oppose the Building Bridges Initiative should the government fail to restore its membership.

This comes at a time that the union has less than 12,000 members, down from 180,000, a situation that has crippled the operations of the 110 KNUT branch offices countrywide.

Speaking on Saturday while gracing the Baringo branch Knut elections held in Kabarnet town, Baringo Central, National Secretary General Wilson Sossion accused the Teachers Service Commission of frustrating the longest-serving teachers union.

“If the government decides to become stubborn on us then we will be stubborn to support the BBI,” Sossion said.

He pledged to mobilize the all teachers across the country to vote against the proposed BBI document.

“We still have our teachers intact even if TSC attempted to deregister them from the union and disabled their two per cent salary deduction to the union through the check-off system,” he said.

Sossion’s utterances were supported by Baringo branch Executive Secretary, Joshua Cheptarus, his Koibatek counterpart Francis Bundotich, Nandi North’s Josphat Serem and Elgeyo-Marakwet woman Representative Jacinta Kiptoo.

The KNUT leaders accused TSC of not only defying the 2017-2021 Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) but also disorganizing the union.

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“TSC should comply with the vitality of the law instead of applying blackmail in its undertaking. The government wants to see me out of Knut so that it can get the chance to frustrate the Kenyan teachers even more.,” Sossion said.

“I can proudly say if that is the reason to remove me to step on the teachers, then I will rather die with them, I am not going anywhere,” he said.

Sossion feels that instead of pushing him away, the government should support him for fighting for the rights of teachers.

He said he will rally behind the teachers until all the selfish and greedy individuals running the government are out.

“I will continue serving the union as well as the parliament the way several of my colleagues do and no amount of intimidation whatsoever shall discourage me from championing for the teacher’s promotions and salary increment,” he said.

Sossion further opposed the delocalization of teachers saying the government should train more teachers and employ them within their localities.

“Delocalization is the major cause of understaffing in some hardship regions like North Eastern and Baringo,” he said.

The government of Kenya is currently in a dichotomy between implementing the teachers’ July 2021 salary increment as per the CBA 2021-2024, and holding a BBI referendum.

According to the sources closer to government,  increasing salaries for teachers and other public officers will put the government on her knees, owing to the fact that the government already has greater yokes on her neck, like the increasing debt burden and a sky rocketed economy.

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Reliable sources have also revealed that there will be massive job cuts from the year 2021, since it is only through job cuts that the international monetary fund, IMF, will award Kenya a new loan.

With plans to hold a BBI referendum in the year 2021, the government is under deep pressure. Among the voters, teachers fall among the majority vote swing groups, which need to be appeased by the government to avoid disappointments in the referendum campaigns.

In his tenure as the president of the republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta has strategically increased teachers salaries towards voting seasons. This was witnessed in the year 2017, when the popular 2017-2020 collective bargaining agreement between teachers and TSC was signed. Being that referendum also involves voting and teachers’ numbers have even increased, the president thinks of ensuring a new CBA is signed. However, with proximity to the debt ceiling and the rising cost of living, the president is torn between driving the referendum agenda and increasing teachers’ salaries.

SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich has confirmed that the salary review process for the 2021-2024 CBA cycle should end by Tuesday 22^nd December 2020.

“TSC and civil servants salary review will take place at the same time in June 2021 when the Job evaluation exercise will be over. The salary reviews were launched in September and is ongoing. Kenyans have up to 22^nd December 2020 to give their views,” said Mengich.

In their memorandum on remuneration guidelines for public servants, SRC has confirmed that remuneration and benefits for civil servants are due in June 2021.

This review will coincide with the teachers’ CBA and employment contracts renewal with TSC, who have already presented a counter proposal offer to the SRC for approval. next