TSC to sack thousands of teachers over pay dispute on Monday

Teachers have up to Monday to resume duty or face sack. This is according to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) which said that any teacher who will not have reported to work by Monday, September 7^th, 8:00AM will be deemed to have absconded duty and will be removed from the payroll with immediate effect.

TSC chair Lydia Nzomo says this follows a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on Friday declaring the strike unprotected but failed to order teachers back to school.

“An unprotected strike is the one that has not been called in line with the provisions of the Labour Relations Act, 2007.  Our plain interpretation is that the strike is illegal,” said Dr. Nzomo.

“Teachers who participate in an unprotected strike cannot claim the protection of employment laws when the employer commences disciplinary action including dismissal from the teaching service.”

TSC further says that all heads of institution where learners have not reported are now required to recall them over the weekend, ready for lessons on Monday.

Teachers went on strike on Wednesday after their bodies – the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) – called on them to boycott work over the government’s failure to pay them the 50 – 60% pay rise awarded by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

TSC now says it has taken several measures to ensure normalcy of learning in primary and secondary schools including holding a meeting with KNUT to appeal to teachers’ representatives not to undertake any action that would negatively impact on learning programmes.

TSC further argues that teachers, through their unions, disregarded the Labour Relations Act by failing to issue a strike notice before the commencement of their industrial action.

However, this is not the first time TSC has threatened to sack teachers over industrial actions. Last year, KNUT Secretary General, then chairman, Wilson Sossion dared TSC to fire or victimize any teacher over a strike they had called following a pay rise disagreement.

Teachers are demanding that the government obeys a court ruling that awarded them the 50 – 60% pay rise and implement it with immediate effect.