Teachers will oppose CS Kuria jobs plan, says Kuppet
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary-General Akelo Misori.
Teachers have rejected a proposal by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria to change the employment terms of civil servants from permanent to contract.
In a statement to mark Labour Day on Wednesday, Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) secretary-general Akello Misori described the proposal as "mischievous".
Teachers make up the largest single block of workers on the government payroll.
There are about 360,000 teachers under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
“Hon Kuria’s proposal is utterly wild, ill-thought-out and unprecedented in the world. Security of employment, marked by full tenure of service and pensions after service, is the foundation upon which public service is built,” he said.
He added that abolishing the permanent and pensionable employment terms for government workers would kill public service.
Misguided policy
“Kuppet rejects the misguided policy proposal and will fight it until it’s defeated. We also demand an immediate halt to contract employment in the public service,” Mr Misori said. He was referring to a judgment last month by the Employment and Labour Relations Court which ruled that the employment of teachers through the “internship” programme by TSC is unconstitutional.
The court held that the commission does not have the power to hire teachers on internship contracts. It went on to state that TSC can only hire teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
The affected teachers have been pushing for implementation of the ruling. However, TSC has obtained orders to stay the implementation of the judgment as it pursues an appeal against it.
There are 46,000 teachers employed on contracts, a majority of whom are deployed in junior secondary schools (JSS).
“The union is ready to agree the terms upon which the conversion [to permanent and pensionable terms] can be effected. We urge the government, in particular the two Speakers of Parliament and all members of Parliament, to convene a special session and appropriate emergency funds to convert intern teachers to permanent terms,” the union statement reads.
Kuppet further called for domiciling of JSS in secondary schools.
“That move would take advantage of the immense human capital and physical infrastructure like laboratories and libraries that are already in secondary schools but are lacking in primary schools,” Mr Misori argued.
The government has maintained that the segment will remain in primary schools.
