Meru county Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) governing council has finalised plans for the countrywide teachers strike slated to commence on Monday, August 26.
In a hard hitting statement, KUPPET Meru county branch executive secretary Karuti Nchebere said any teacher who failed to join the national strike to agitate for their interests will be treated as a traitor.
Speaking in Meru town on Saturday, Nchebere said such teachers should not expect the union to come to their rescue when in trouble since they failed to rise to the occasion when it mattered most.
He urged all teachers to support the strike unanimously and cautioned parents against taking their children to school on Monday.
“Let me reassure you that there is no turning back in regard to the industrial action called by the council’s top organs. I urge all teachers to join the strike and agitate for their rights. Any teacher who will defy the directive will be treated as a traitor. Teachers will not be responsible for children who report to school,” said Nchebere.
He said they will deal ruthlessly with teachers who fail to join the strike and cautioned school principals against calling teachers for any meetings noting even the principals are their members.
Nchebere stressed that no teacher will be victimized for participating in the strike because they had followed the law when calling for the industrial action.
He said the strike will go on until all their grievances with regard to implementation of the second phase of 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) are met.
The unionist insisted that industrial action is the only language that the government understands noting it’s the time for teachers to get what they rightfully deserve.
Nchebere regretted that the strike will adversely affect the learners especially in completing the syllabus and performance in the national examinations.
The official however said that they have set foolproof mechanism in a bid to ensure that all the wasted time is fully recovered one they resume duty.
Nchebere also called on teachers working in private schools to take the cue from them and agitate for better terms.
Some of their grievances include failure by the employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to promote 130,000 teachers shortlisted during December 2023 interviews, delay in employing 20,000 new teachers and non-remittance of third-party deductions.
Others are failure to remit capitation to medical insurers and delay in converting 46,000 Junior Secondary School and primary teachers to permanent and pensionable terms.
