| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to establish the institutional factors influencing affiliation of secondary school teachers to trade unions in Igembe North District. The study sought to determine the extent to which unions` numerical strength, timely response to members` needs, internal democracy and lobbying from rival unions influence teachers` affiliation to unions in Igembe North district. The study employed a survey research design and targeted 500 secondary school teachers, and 10 Kenya union of post Primary Education Teachers in Igembe North District. The total targeted respondents were 110. There were 100 respondents who participated in the study which was 90 percent return rate. The study used teachers‟ questionnaire and interview schedule for union leaders as the main method of data collection. Reliability of the instruments was tested using the test-retest method and found reliable. The findings of the study were as follows: First, on the question of the extent to which numerical strength of a union influence the affiliation of secondary school teachers to union in Igembe North District, it was found that majority of respondents, at 77.7 percent rated numerical strength of a union as a factor that determine the affiliation of secondary school teachers to unions.
Secondly on the question as to whether union response to members‟ needs influence secondary school teachers to unions, the study found that a majority of respondents at 54 percent found that the union‟s service delivery in terms of bargaining to pay increase and other teachers allowances affected the affiliation of secondary schools teachers to unions. Thirdly, on the question on whether internal democracy of teachers‟ unions‟ influence the affiliation of secondary school teachers to unions, the study found that the majority at 52 percent opinioned that internal democracy through members‟ involvement in key decision making procedures and the conduct of union elections of officials influence the teachers affiliation to the unions‟. Fourthly, on the question as to whether lobbying from rival union affected the affiliation by secondary school teachers to unions, the study found that the majority of teachers, at 55.5 percent of the respondents felt that competition from sister union led to a high rate of member loss which affected the unions performance negatively.
The study concludes that the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers in Igembe North District in negatively affected by its low membership. Secondly, poor service delivery in terms of bargaining for pay and allowance increase affects the union negatively. Thirdly, failure to involve union members in key-decision making processes leads to loss of members to rival union. Lastly, lobbying from the sister union has made the union lose members to this sister union.
This study recommends that Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers finds strategies for increasing the enrollment of secondary school teachers such as recruitment drivers to as to increase its membership base. Secondly, the union should enhance its service delivery to the members through actively bargaining
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for pay and allowance increase by the teachers employer. Thirdly, the union should enhance internal democracy through involvement of union members in key decision making procedures as well as conducting free and fair election. Lastly, it is recommendable that Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers engage in serious lobbying activities to counter the negative impact of sister union which has led to the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers lose of members to the sister union.
The study suggests that further research is necessary in other districts to find the factors affecting affiliation of secondary districts. Similarly, the study suggests that a study be carried out on credibility of Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers elections in Igembe North District. | |
