KUPPET demands teachers’ job evaluation report

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has given the Salary and Remuneration Commission (SRC) 14 days to release job evaluation results for teachers conducted early this year.

This comes as KNUT Secretary General William Sossion and chair Mudzo Nzili are divided on Sossion’s threat that the union will withdraw from pay talks with TSC if their Comprehensive Bargaining Agreement is not signed by October.

KUPPET chairman Omboko Milemba has issued a two week ultimatum to have SRC headed by Sarah Serem to release the long awaited results of their job evaluation or face the wrath of teachers.

As they spoke, KNUT Secretary General Sossion has insisted if their CBA with TSC is not signed by October the union will withdraw from the pay talks.

But his counterpart, KNUT Chairman Mudzo Nzili, has distanced himself from this position, saying the teachers union will remain the dialogue despite the October ultimatum by Sossion.

Meanwhile, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori has indicated that KUPPET will take part in the pay talks with the government for the benefit of teachers.

“We are not moving away since things haven’t even started.”

“We are expecting the government to put something tangible on the table hence KUPPET is preparing in earnest for the talks,’’ said the unions secretary general Akelo Misori.

Speaking in an interview with Radio Citizen, Mr Misori said that the pay negotiation can’t be addressed by people having grand misunderstandings and urged KUPPET’s counterpart KNUT to stop its threats of withdrawing from the negotiations.

Earlier this week, KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion was quoted threatening that the union would withdraw from the pay negotiations with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) if the comprehensive Collective Bargaining Agreement were not signed by October this year.

But KNUT chairperson Mudzo Nzili has expressed opposition to the position taken by Sossion, insisting the largest teachers union will not move out of the pay talks with TSC, which have not yet kicked off.

‘’We are ready for the talks which will begin soon and we insist that the talks should begin for us to see what offer is on the table,’’ Nzili said.

However, TSC headed by CEO Nancy Macharia, had earlier in the week dismissed the threat by Sossion issued during the Head Teachers’ Annual Conference in Mombasa last week, instead challenging the union to wait for the talks to commence.

In a statement, TSC Head of Communications Kihumba Kamotho had said CBA would ensure structured, open and honest engagement between the parties, warning Sossion against employing threats and arm-twisting tactics.

The TSC signed Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) on 20th and 21st June, 2016, respectively. Both CBAs cover the period between 1st July 2013 to 30th June 2017.