The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) on Saturday criticised the move by the teacher’s employer to deny some tutors promotions and pay increment.
This comes after the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) termed the TSC’s move as is illegal.
Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion on Saturday said the union will fight fearlessly for its members.
“The union will not allow the TSC to enslave its members through unfair labour practices aimed at denying teachers what they deserve in terms of remuneration,” he said.
On Friday, the TSC stopped a pay rise of 103,624 teachers who are Knut members.
TSC Corporate Communications officer Kihumba Kamotho, said the payroll for Knut members has not factored in Phase Three of the 2017- 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement because the court ordered that their terms be based on the schemes of service and not career progression guidelines.
The most affected teachers are chief principals, secondary teacher II and secondary teachers III. Also affected primary special needs education teachers, primary teachers I (P1 and P2).
The TSC said, court judgment that set aside the implementation of career progression guidelines has necessitated preparation of two parallel payrolls in order to comply with the court ruling without disadvantaging teachers who are not Knut members.
Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said the TSC should stop violating teachers’ rights through illegalities.
Mr Atwoli said, the commission’s actions amount to intimidation and harassment of teachers for belonging to a union.
Knut has blamed its sister union, the Kenya post primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Kessha) and the Kenya Primary Heads Association (Kepsha) of abandoning fellow teachers by supporting the TSC.
According to Mr Sossion, the TSC’s new regulations will disadvantage thousands of teachers in job Group Q, K, H, J and G.
“It should be noted that majority of these teachers have invested heavily to acquire academic and professional qualifications,” said Mr Sossion.
He said that career progression guidelines disadvantage teachers in low job groups.
He said, unlike the schemes of service, the career progression system complicates the requirements for teachers to be promoted.
Mr Sossion accused Kepsha, Kessha and Kuppet of supporting TSC because some of their members who fall in administrative grades are greatly benefiting.
“The career progression guideline confers school administrators with a huge pay package with attractive allowances unlike their counterparts who are not in position of authority,” he said.
According to Mr Sossion, under the schemes of service, teachers are promoted after three years.
He also accused the TSC attempting to divide teachers by deducting Sh200 from female teachers.
Mr Atwoli has asked education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha and the Labour CS Ukur Yattani to convene a tripartite social partners’ advisory meeting involving Federation of Kenya Employers, Cotu and the Ministry of Labour officials to advise TSC and Knut on the way forward.
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