Teachers Unions Reject TSC’s Proposed Salary Increment
The Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) and the unions for primary and post-primary teachers, KNUT and KUPPET, reopened negotiations on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the period 2021 to 2023 on Tuesday.
Inadvertently, however, the discussion shifted to the pay of teachers in relation to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s proposal for pay increases for public servants.
Last month, the SRC evaluated salaries and granted those in the public sector pay raises ranging from 7% to 10%.
The outcome of the meeting, however, fell short of the SRC’s recommendation, much to the dismay of the teachers union, primarily KUPPET, the post-primary teachers union.
KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori stated that they had anticipated a higher percentage, even though they held their own optimistic projections and considered the teachers’ expectations, ranging from 30 to 70 percent.
However, when the reported figures revealed a range of 9 to 2.5 percent, they came to the realization that either the President, SRC, or TSC might have provided inaccurate information.
If both KNUT and KUPPET approve the TSC’s proposal, the lowest-earning teachers would receive a 9 percent raise, while the highest-earning teachers would receive a 2.5 percent increase.
KNUT, on the other hand, states that it will present the offer to its members, despite the fact that it is lower than anticipated, because it strikes a balance between its highest and lowest earners.
KNUT boss Collins Oyuu expressed gratitude towards the President while mentioning that the content of the review presented by the TSC did not align with their expectations.
He raised a query by stating that if the President had not mentioned the 7 to 10 percent, they wondered what the TSC’s proposal would have been. He emphasized that their discussions centered around the presidential announcement and its implications.
The unions stated that they have requested that the TSC provide them with improved pay raise proposals.
They stated that a review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the salaries paid to teachers is necessary, especially as they seek to secure better deals for their members who, like other Kenyans, are struggling with the high cost of living, higher taxation, inflation, increased statutory deductions, and the introduction of new levies, such as the housing levy, which will deplete their paycheques.
Mr. Oyuu stated, “Teachers have suffered in this country, and we are surprised that the TSC has not brought in anything. We are returning home to do a great deal of deliberation on what we discussed with the TSC regarding the 2021 CBA…They told us to sign, but we told them we will not sign.”
Misori, for his part, added, “At this point, we cannot agree because the calculations are producing numbers that are even lower than what teachers expect.”
The TSC and the unions will convene again early the following week to continue negotiating the pay raises and CBA provisions.
KNUT leader Collins Oyuu remarked that the teachers in the country had undergone significant hardships. He expressed astonishment at the lack of initiatives from the TSC (Teachers Service Commission).
He mentioned that they were preparing to return home to engage in extensive discussions regarding the matters deliberated upon during the 2021 CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) with the TSC.
Oyuu recalled that during the discussions, the TSC had urged them to sign, but their response was a refusal to sign.
On the other hand, Misori stated that reaching an agreement was not possible at that juncture. He pointed out that the calculations being presented were yielding figures much lower than what teachers were anticipating.
Teachers Unions Reject TSC’s Proposed Salary Increment
