Pressure is mounting on teachers to return to work today following a Friday court ruling that suspended their strike, even as their unions insist they keep off the classrooms and await further directions.
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The Union officials are also demanding that the Teachers Service Commission must not appeal last week’s decision by the Employment and Labour Relations court which ruled that the ongoing strike is legal and protected by law.
The ruling comes after TSC said on Thursday it was processing salaries for teachers whose names appeared in the list submitted by county directors of education.
President Kenyatta’s statement was a blow to the teachers who are seeking a salary increment from the government. “It is not easy for the government to get an extra Sh2 billion per month as they have demanded”, he added.
The teachers strike is still on, despite a court order suspending it for 90 days, Kuppet secretary general Akello Misori has said. “Being out on strike every now and then is not our wish and therefore this is the time”, Sossion said.
TSC and Knut had filed separate suits over the legality of the strike while the union had filed contempt of court proceedings against the commission. It was not immediately clear what impact Friday’s ruling would have on the appeal. “As the secretary general, I don’t have the authority to tell teachers to report back to work”.
And speaking separately, Uasin Gishu Senator Isaac Melly challenged the teachers’ employer to unconditionally withdraw it’s case to avert another round of stalemate.
Odera, however, said employees deserve fair and competitive wages.
Speaking in PCEA Bahati in Nairobi, Ruto urged teachers to put the interest of students first and return to school for the beginning of the third term.
He said Knut will be in court tomorrow to argue their case and later make an announcement to teachers on the way forward.
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An industrial court ordered 280,000 Kenyan public-school teachers to suspend their strike for 90 days and asked the Education Ministry to help appoint an arbitrator for the pay dispute.
