The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has withdrawn the strike notice, set to expire at midnight today, and now instructs teachers to resume work tomorrow.
This follows a day-long National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the union headquarters in Nairobi.
According to Secretary-General Collins Oyuu, the strike was called off so as to offer the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the government a chance to address their demands.
“The NEC has, therefore, today August 25, 2024, agreed to withdraw the strike action notice which was elapsing midnight August 25, 2024 since we have commenced addressing the remaining matters administratively,” Oyuu said.
“In view of the emerging developments, we direct our teachers to resume duty effective Monday, August 26, 2024.”
He explained that the move was reached on the basis of belief that the government and TSC were committed to finding solutions for all issues that may have led to the looming strike.
The issues include the promotion of 130,000 teachers who were shortlisted in December 2023, hiring 20,000 teachers, and immediate implementation of the second phase of the 2021/2025 CBA between TSC and Knut.
The other concerns include remitting third-party deductions and the delays in converting the 46,000 JSS teachers to permanent and pensionable.
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Even though the teachers union has called off the strike, Knut, which represents more than 200,000 members across the 23,000 public primary schools in the country, issued a stern warning.
The union warned that the strike notice still stands in case its concerns are not fully addressed.
“We have only withdrawn the strike notice,” Oyuu warned.
Negotiations TSC has held have borne fruits, with the promotional exercise of the 51,232 teachers and remittance of third-party deductions to be executed, in addition to the implementation of the amended CBA that is in the offing.
The process of implementation seems to have cajoled Knut to cancel the strike.
In another development, the Ministry of Education has urged parents and guardians to see to it that their children report to school tomorrow.
The Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Migos, issued the directive shortly after Knut’s suspension of the strike, appealing for adherence to the school calendar.
“Parents and guardians are advised to ensure their children report to their respective schools for the third term as per the School Calendar,” said Migos.
He also thanked Knut for its decision to put the best interests of learners first.
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