JSS intern teachers to join other teachers on the streets on Monday

The Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers have welcomed the industrial action plan called by teachers unions that is set to begin on Monday next week.

The intern teachers will now join other colleague teachers on the streets to demand for their rights.

Both Knut and Kuppet members have vowed to down tools starting 26th August 2024 when schools are scheduled to reopen.

The two teachers unions took the direction after a failed negotiations with teachers employer, TSC. Among the five issues raised by the unions, TSC has only addressed one.

KEY ISSUES RAISED BY UNIONS
a) Immediate confirmation of 46,000 intern teachers;
b) Promotion of 130,000 stagnated teachers;
c) Immediate recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers;
d) Immediate remittance of all third-party deductions;
e) Commitment to start talks on a new CBA.

One of the bone of contention was confirmation of 46,000 teachers working on internship terms.

The unions want immediate confirmation of all intern teachers into permanent and pensionable employment.

Though initially the intern teachers were divided with some opposed to the strike called by the unions, this has now changed after a revelation by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi who said that the government does not have money to employ the intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

The section of JSS intern teachers had accused Knut and Kuppet members of not standing with them during their trial times when they were on strike calling for their permanent employment.

CS Mbadi further said the government does not have resources for the recruitment of additional 20,000 intern teachers where 18,000 were for JSS while 2,000 for P1 teachers.

This confession puts to limbo a plan by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to convert the teachers to PNP in January 2025.

TSC has on its payroll a total of 46,000 teachers serving on internship terms.

These are 21,550 junior school and 4,000 primary school intern teachers recruited in February 2023.

450 secondary school intern teachers recruited in April 2023. 18,000 junior school and 2,000 primary school intern teachers recruited in September 2023.

Mbadi said that money for teachers’ salary increment through a signed Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was a struggle to raise.

Speaking on Thursday, the CS added that there is a shortfall in the budget and therefore, the government cannot address JSS teachers’ concerns.

“We don’t have resources for recruiting JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, and we do not have the resources for the additional 20,000 JSS teachers that was reduced in the estimates,” Mbadi said during an interview at Citizen TV.

The CS said that the year has been marred with challenges causing financial constraints.

“There is a shortfall of about Sh13 billion. There is no money available for the conversation of JSS teachers unless we make budget adjustments, which we don’t have space for,” Mbadi said.

The government had planned to employ teachers who are currently on internships at a budget of Sh18.3 billion.

The fall of the Finance Bill 2024 created a budget hole of Sh346 billion.

In June, the Court of Appeal put on hold plans to employ 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.

Justices Asike Makhandia, Sankale Ole Kantai and Ngenye Macharia suspended the orders issued by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) requiring TSC to convert the internship to permanent and pensionable terms.

The JSS teachers will continue working as interns until the case filed by the Nancy Macharia-led commission is heard and determined.

In the application, TSC claimed that the orders by Justice ELRC threw its plans into disarray as the money required to hire the intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms was not budgeted for.

“The rights of all learners in public schools underpinned under Articles 43 and 53 of the Constitution are on the verge of being violated, as the Commission has no financial resources to onboard the 46,000 on permanent and pensionable terms and conditions,” argued TSC lawyer Allan Sitima.