The TSC has ordered its officers to collect data on the attendance of schools amidst a strategy to punish teachers involved in the strike action against a court order declaring the strike illegal. The request to collect the information comes as the teachers started receiving their August salaries on Thursday, and the process is expected to be complete by Friday. Just for this retroactive part, the salaries are retroactive to July 1, representing the second phase of the 2021-2025 CBA that teachers have been fighting for.
County directors have been ordered to compile and forward the data to its headquarters. The commission indicates that the collection is aimed at identifying and possibly punishing teachers who have not reported to work since the new school term began. This, according to TSC, is in a bid to try and get teachers into compliance with the court order that ruled against the strike fronted by KUPPET.
Even after doing all it could, including threatening disciplinary actions against the teachers, KUPPET argued that all this work was in vain if a return-to-work formula was not signed by its members. Other demands include full implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA, promotion of teachers, employment of Junior Secondary School teachers, and reinstatement of their medical cover.
The strike has paralyzed learning in public secondary schools with only the school heads remaining at their stations. The TSC has now maintained that it expects members of the union to obey the court order, saying there will be serious actions against those who will not, including the deduction in pay and a potential impact on their retirement benefits.
As the drama rages on, the TSC and KUPPET are still opposed, with the next court hearing slated for September 5. The outcome of this legal contest may serve as superprecedent in the years to come, in rendering ties between TSC and teachers’ unions in Kenya.