Wilson Sossion’s eyes warn the man before you is either a radical or a no-nonsense union representative. Then he confirms it in a newspaper interview: “I don’t believe in a weak union. You must always put pressure on government.”
Mr Sossion, who has just left the helm of Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), told the Daily Nation newspaper that “if the union negotiators don’t play hardball, they will be outwitted by TSC.”
An articulate unionist who says he will continue fighting for teacher rights as a parliamentarian is perceived as a failed leader because under his watch as secretary-general, Knut, the once giant union, lost membership from near 200,000 to an-easy-to-ignore 15,000 in two short years.
Traditionally, unionists have played hardball politics and put pressure on the government, literally stopping activities when membership pours into the streets demanding welfare, be it monetary gains or other privileges.
What should unions do differently in the modern world? Against the hardball philosophy, unionists could benefit from what other leaders have said on collective bargaining agreements (CBA) across the globe.
Hillary Clinton, a top US diplomat as Secretary of State one time, has said there is a need “to support new organising strategies for employees who too often have never had the benefit of collective bargaining.” However, she stressed that “we have to resist the assault on workers’ rights.”
Ronald Reagan, the fortieth President of the US, warned that “where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost”. This partly explains the war-like approaches by unionists who demand rights against the all-powerful governments who have the monopoly of violence, have access to the best brains, be they economists or lawyers, who normally craft top ideologies and arguments that unlock labour rights and benefits.
Trade unions are integral parts of democracies where the owners of talent should be allowed to have a say on how they are treated by the biggest employer, that is the government. Winston Churchill said that trade unions are “long-established and essential part of our national life”, effectively warning employers/governments that unions reflect progress and should not be seen as pariahs who should be stopped at all costs.
As a matter of fact, American billionaire Michael Bloomberg says organising “around a common interest is a fundamental part of democracy”.
So, governments through ministries, departments and agencies cannot have their cake and eat it by talking about democracy while attempting to muzzle and intimidate tough-talking unionists such as Mr Sossion who did not hesitate to harangue the employer.
However, unionists ought to master the art of carrot and stick since they carry the aspirations of millions of people, taking into account the membership and the people who depend on them.
This should help the unions such as Knut, Kenya Union for Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers and the rest to be as careful as possible not to be seen as wrestling with the government.
It should not be a full-blown war where unions physically hit the employer like the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that launched negotiations with Knut days after Mr Sossion tearfully pulled out of union elections that saw Collins Oyuu rise to the helm as secretary-general.
Was TSC openly saying they stopped engaging the more than 300,000 teachers—their own workers— just because they were unhappy with the union leadership under Mr Sossion?
Mr Sossion says teachers face “existential threat” due to the pressures of huge classes, performance in national examinations KCPE and KCSE, control over work hours, poor motivation and remuneration and wan professional recognition.
When you are this pressed and important in terms of expectations, unions ought to resort to new ways of doing things, including working as a team and not fall to the government’s attempts to divide and rule.
Mr Sossion has asked the teacher unions to coalesce under a federation — National Union Federation for Teachers — whose primary role would be promoting solidarity — that philosophy! — and unity in the education sector. It is this kind of solidarity that will give them the muscle to face the employer — eyeball to eyeball, Mr Sossion — more meaningfully by hiring top talent that argues on their behalf to win, not to be sidelined or ignored.
Like Mr Sossion says, through the federation, the different unions would reduce cut-throat rivalry and promote dialogue while taking care of the rights of all teachers: post-primary teams, the disabled, women teachers, special needs tutors, arts or science instructors.
Both the unions and the government must aim for the development of different professions that transform the economy. It is for this reason that pay negotiations should not be turned into physical wars, but get defined by facts, figures, history, and decorum and restraint.
A successful unionist only needs to get his or her beat right, even if talking in low tones punctuated with duty-calls smile or guffaw, and not tough looks that make the employer cut links.
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