Victory for Teachers

From ICFTU OnLine, 265/971013/ND, 16 February 1998

Brussels, October 13, 1997 (ICFTU OnLine): Kenyan teachers ended an 11-day strike on Sunday after reaching an agreement over pay with the government. The agreement foresees a 200% pay rise, which is what the teachers demanded, spread over a period of five years. Having won their dispute, the trade union leaders called on the 240,000 teachers on strike since October 1 to resume work this morning (Monday).

At present, teachers' salaries range from 30 dollars a month for the lowest paid to 308 dollars per month at the top of the scale. One year ago, the trade unions and the government began negotiations , which resulted in an agreement to increase salaries by between 150 and 200%, depending on category. But the government then went back on its agreement, saying it would grant a maximum of only 30% to teachers, owing to the poor economic situation.It was this decision that led to the call for an indefinite strike from October 1 by the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT). The 160,000-strong union can pride itself on a massive response to its strike call, with 95% of teachers taking part. Last Wednesday, thousands of them came out onto the streets of Nairobi and other major towns in the country to voice their demands.

After their first attempt at negotiations failed, on Friday, President Daniel arap Moi gave three top officials 48 hours to meet the union leaders and solve the crisis.

Contact: ICFTU Press: Tel.: ++32 2 224 02 12 (Brussels).