KNUT and KUPPET leadership are facing new challenge as Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers demand to be included in either of the unions. Once vocal on better employment terms, these teachers are now eyeing union leadership, a potential shake up to the status quo.
JSS Teachers Want Union Membership
After failing to register their own union, JSS teachers are now asking TSC to hasten their inclusion in KNUT or KUPPET. With their recent transition to permanent and pensionable (P&P) contracts, many JSS teachers see union membership as the next step to secure their rights and address workplace issues.
“Both KNUT and KUPPET have been trying to recruit us since we started as interns. We tried to form and register our union but we encountered technicalities. Now that we are on permanent contracts, we want to be part of a union,” said a JSS teacher from Busia County.
During their two year internship, JSS teachers were focused on getting permanent contracts. Now that that hurdle is cleared, attention is shifting to workplace issues including stagnation in job groups, multiple medical insurance schemes and delay in payment of contracted teachers during national exams.
The Leadership Question: New Energy vs Old Guard
While KNUT and KUPPET have expressed interest in admitting JSS teachers into their fold, the integration process is complicated by leadership ambitions among the younger teachers. Many junior school teachers feel the unions have not done enough for their members and want to bring in fresh perspectives to leadership.
“We want to bring new energy to any union we join,” said a JSS leader who was active in last year’s protests.
With over 70,000 JSS teachers now on permanent contracts including those from primary schools, there is growing concern among current union leaders about potential leadership takeovers in the next elections.
Union Leaders in Panic
The push for leadership positions by JSS teachers has sent KUPPET and KNUT leaders into a panic. Many of the issues raised by the younger teachers such as unclear pension schemes, healthcare disparities and promotion bottlenecks also affect senior teachers. But the energy and determination of JSS teachers to bring change could alter the unions.So will the old guard welcome the newbies or resist the change? The next elections will tell.