The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called off the teachers' strike following a consultative meeting with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
Addressing the press, KUPPET's Secretary General Akelo Misori noted that the strike was suspended after entering a tentative agreement with the TSC.
As a result, he directed teachers registered under the union to resume duties immediately as they iron out the issues they had raised.
"In the ensuing arrangement and in compliance with the court order which is coming up on September 5, Thursday, from the union side, we suspend our strike and ask all our teachers to go back to class pending the speedy resolutions of these matters as already agreed upon between us and the commission," he stated.
TSC, whose CEO Nancy Macharia was part of a presser, noted that the parties held fruitful bi-partite negotiations with the KUPPET union to end the work boycott through alternative dispute resolutions.
Macharia confirmed that the commission reached an agreement with KUPPET after the meeting.
"After a day long meeting, we are happy to report to the nation that we have reached an amicable settlement which will enable our teachers to resume duty immediately," she told the press.
On August 21, 2021, the government promised to provide funds for the second implementation of the teachers' Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) which was to take effect on July 1 2024.
Macharia, however, confirmed that all teachers have benefited from the implementation of the second phase of the CBA, with all the arrears settled.
"The government has successfully implemented all the provisions of the 2021-2025 CBA with the teachers' unions, specifically the second phase of the CBA which was due on July 1, 2024," she added.
Among the things resolved are the remittance of third-party deductions, restoration of medical scheme and promotion of 51,232 teachers. Further, the government has provided more resources for retooling of JSS teachers. The government pledged to iron out the remaining issues.
The call off the strike efectively ends KUPPET's weeklong strike that kicked off on August 26. Earlier, today, however, learners were sent home over a lack of teachers due to the strike.
