News of teachers calling for industrial action used to be received with trepidation. Teachers used to portray their strikes as the ultimate sign of government failure and considering their numbers, the public swallowed the lie hook, line and sinker. Now we know better. Teachers are on strike? Oh, uh! Life goes on.
It’s the second time teachers are on strike in 2015 but this time they’ve earned a modicum of empathy from the general public. Not least because they’ve been awarded a pay rise of up to 60 per cent in a historic Supreme Court ruling. The government, as expected, has baulked at paying up on such a hit on the treasury.
The next time teachers go on strike after such a hefty pay rise we shall chase them with sticks out to the Indian Ocean. But before that, we shall indulge them one last time:
- Teachers have earned their stripes
I first heard of a teachers strike in 1998. It wasn’t until 2002 that teachers laid down their tools again. I’ve lost count of how many strikes have occurred since. Teachers have been firing from all cylinders for the best part of the last decade. They’ve been knocking on the government’s front door with the fervour of bailiffs and this time, as the finish line comes tantalisingly close they surely won’t be denied. Government officials calling for dialogue now sound like frogs croaking in the river in a vain attempt at stopping the cattle from drinking water.
- Fighting as a national value
I went through my primary school years being taught the Nyayo Philosophy of peace, love and unity. Teachers have taught us that following that creed is not only sheepish and dumb but it will also lead you nowhere as far as negotiating with government is concerned.
All those with an eye on fruits high up the government’s tree must be ready to throw down the gauntlet and spoil for a fight with the powers that be.
If Kenya is our mother, she has taught us to pull at her skirts and threaten exposing her nudity for her to lift us up to suckle at her bosom. Just like we purchased multi-party democracy and a new constitution on blood, sweat, toil and tears, teachers have had to dig their heels in to arrive at their Canaan. In contrast, the half-hearted attempts of doctors and nurses at industrial action have had them tossed and turned in the Red Sea with no hope of making it ashore.
- TSC’s Comeback
Revenge is best served cold. After being floored in court battle, the teachers’ employer should spend its time on the canvas to plot a major come back a few miles down the road they’ve been compelled to walk.
Now is the time to really push for performance contracts for all teachers to justify the pay rise they’ve been so vocal about. And this time parents and the general public will be on the employer’s side. It’s a common practice for employers to tighten the noose whenever employees push them against the ropes so I’ll be surprised if TSC doesn’t remind its employees who’s boss by throwing the rule book at erring teachers.
- All Hail the Judiciary
Teachers would not be bearing down on a mouthwatering pay rise without a significant fillip from the Supreme Court which took a dim view of the government’s chicanery and gave them their due.
The 2013 Presidential Election Petition apart, the Judiciary must be applauded for knocking common sense into the head of a hard headed government bent on oppressing citizens it is supposed to protect. It’s not the first time teachers sought help from the courts. Therefore, the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling must be seen as a rebuke against all former judges who have sat on this case as puppets of the State.
- Sure Shot Sossion
The protracted talks between the Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya National Union of Teachers have catapulted Secretary General Wilson Sossion into national fame. The trade unionist has taken advantage of teachers’ troubles to polish his political CV with panache. I’d wager the man from Bomet has sent a chill down many a politician’s spine. Whispers of will he, won’t he run for office should be common fair in Bomet and the wider Kalenjin political landscape.
Sossion may now claim, and with good reason, that he led his members to the Promised Land especially when the new pay package hits teachers’ accounts.
The sweet taste of the teachers’ new deal will still be lingering in the mouth by the time the elections season sets in next year. And what better ways to use this year’s success as a bridge to the future than to run for political office come 2017?
Nelson Morang'a 