The Kenya National Union of Teachers has warned of "an ugly scene" if the government does not pay teachers their July salary. The union secretary general Mudzo Nzili said that although the union has not seen any formal communication to the effect that teachers will not be paid their full July salary, “such a move will cause teachers to revolt in a big way.”
He warned: “Somebody is out to plunge the education sector into chaos if the plan to withhold teachers’ salaries is true.” He said the union's national executive council will decide what kind of action to take if the government fails to pay the teachers' July salaries.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission Chairman Sarah Serem is said to have written to the teachers’ employer, Teachers Service Commission, advising that teachers should not be paid their full July salary since they had not worked for the three weeks they were on strike.
The letter asks the TSC to pay teachers only for one week worked in the month of July. Nzili said the SRC was overstepping its mandate by advising the TSC on whether to pay teachers or not.
The SRC advises the government on the remuneration of state officers and also guides, sets and regularly reviews salaries for all public officers. TSC is an independent constitutional commission.
“Why should Serem want to micro manage TSC? Why should anybody want to give directives to our employer like we have been hearing?,” Nzili said.
Unconfirmed reports also indicate that the TSC will soon be directed to stop deducting union dues from teachers on behalf of Knut. The order is expected to take effect at the end of August. But Nzili wondered why the move is targeting Knut.
He said if effected, it should apply to all unionsand not only Knut. The TSC management remained silent yesterday as the concerns about whether or not the teachers July salaries will be paid in full and whether their monthly union deductions will be effected.
The Industrial Court recently ordered that TSC should deduct Sh5 million from teachers salary as a penalty for their officials being in contempt of court.
Nzili and Knut chairman Wilson Sossion were also fined Sh500,000 each by the court, despite a return to work formula that stated that all court cases must be withdrawn.
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