JSS teachers call off strike and give TSC one month to formulate their demands

Thousands of secondary school teachers who have been on strike since April 17, 2024 have suspended their industrial action until July 5, 2024.

The interns decided to suspend their strike to allow the National Assembly to pass the budget.

The 46,000 teachers have also asked their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to give them permanent contracts with pension rights. The qualified teachers were hired as interns in 2019.

Through their National Spokesperson, Mr Omari Omari, the JSS trainee teachers also urged the TSC to publish the circular on their confirmation for permanent appointment and pension eligibility immediately after the passage of the budget.

“Following a meeting of the JSS district heads, we have decided to suspend our demonstrations to allow Parliament to pass the 2024/2025 budget on Thursday. By that date, we should have received a communication on the status of the confirmation of the 46,000 teachers,” Mr Omari said.

In a statement, JSS teachers urged their colleagues to return to class from June 10, 2024.

“Please note that this means that the strike which began on April 17, 2024, has not been cancelled but has been suspended until July 5, 2024. By that date, we should have received a communication on the status of the confirmation of the 46,000 teachers,” Mr Omari said.

He said they had held a series of meetings with the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Labour and its counterpart on Education, where they presented their demands.

The first priority is to confirm the registration of all 46,000 interns.

“They have fully agreed with our demands, presented them to the Budget Committee and submitted them to Parliament and are now waiting for its adoption,” he said.

Mr Omari said the committees had asked them to suspend their demonstrations during the passage of the budget.

The committee also called on the striking interns to give the TSC time to receive the money and prepare their immediate employment.

“Given the seriousness with which they have treated our problems so far and the great love and care we show to the children of poor Kenyan parents, we have decided to believe them and suspend our demonstrations,” he added.

However, he reminded parliamentarians that the court ruling that internships were illegal still stands.

“After consulting our legal team, we would like to inform you that from Monday, we will not be going into the classes as interns but as volunteers. We are doing this volunteer work because we seem to be the only people in the education sector taking care of Mama Mboga’s children,” said Mr Omari.

He said they should volunteer as teachers over the next four weeks, but if TSC did not send them confirmation by July 5, they would have to go back on the streets.

“Teaching is an honourable profession and we make sacrifices for the future of our nation, but TSC and the government cannot take advantage of our caring nature to enslave or exploit us,” Mr Omari said.

He said qualified and registered teachers should not be enslaved under the guise of internships.

“We are still shocked and suffering from the idea that the government in this country has actually been using qualified teachers as slaves for years. But a strike is frustrating for our dear poor students. A strike hurts and frustrates us teachers. A strike is not something to be cherished,” said Mr Omari.

Last month, the National Assembly’s Education Committee called on TSC to convert 26,000 interns into permanent positions starting in July 2024.