Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion is surely not going down without a fight.
While addressing over 1,000 teachers in Vihiga County on Saturday, January 16, Sossion urged teachers to come together in a bid to save the union from its imminent collapse.
Sossion adviced that the teachers remit their contributions directly to KNUT through their banks. He stated that the new mode of contribution can be through signing standing orders with banks to facilitate cash flow from March 2021.
The KNUT boss referenced the high voter turnout as a sign of strength and unity within the teachers' union.
Reports indicated that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) cut back dues to KNUT from Ksh142 million to about Ksh32 million. Sossion urged that his idea would save the union from extinction.
"As you go to class ask yourselves whether your union is safe.
"Without a union, you will suffer. The only thing TSC has succeeded in doing is to remove the KNUT check off but not the heart of teachers," Sossion challenged, further noting that the huge turnout was a sign of the union's strength.
"We stopped receiving union dues a year ago, but despite the dried coffers, the union has managed to conduct elections," he added.
Sossion stated that the union regrets championing for the formation of TSC, which he says has now turned against them.
"The voice of the teacher is so important and it is made through KNUT. This must be respected and TSC must hear this," Sossion stated.
He argued that a strong union was a direct reflection of a strong education system rather than an obstacle.
Sossion warned teachers of the plan to collapse the union, alleging that TSC would turn them into slaves. He stated that the union had served teachers well since its formation, and the education sector would take a hit if it collapsed.
He revealed that the union's membership was strong according to records, warning that a strike would be called just to test their strength on the ground.
"Those who thought they will kill KNUT, they will themselves die before it dies. The union was formed during the colonial era and I wonder who in 2021 would want to kill it," Sossion posed.
KNUT will conduct elections in 20 branches over the weekend across the country with more polls set to follow.
Sossion vowed to defend his seat as KNUT secretary-general and still continue to serve in parliament. He argued that the union's concerns were professional and not a fight against the government.
