TSC, Unions Agree on Teachers Salary Increase
The two largest teacher unions and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have agreed to a 7–10 percent increase in tutor pay.
The increase is the consequence of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for 2021–2025 and a recommendation by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to increase the salaries of all State employees.
After productive negotiations with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced on Monday that tutors will receive a salary increase beginning July 1, 2023.
A supplement to the CBA for 2021–2025 has also been ratified, with the intention of protecting teachers from new legal deductions and rising costs of living.
Last week, the three unions rejected TSC’s proposal for a salary increase spanning from 2.4% to 9.5%, deeming it inadequate and stating that the increase fell short of what the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had recommended.
The unions, who were vying for the seven to ten percent raise that SRC had recommended for all civil servants, members of the security forces, and teachers, took offense at TSC’s proposal.
Following a series of discussions, an agreement has been reached as a result of discussions held on Friday, August 25, in an effort to break the impasse.
“The Commission has completed the promotion of 14,738 teachers as of August 2023 and has advertised an additional 36,275 promotion vacancies.”
The purpose of these promotions is to encourage teachers to improve their productivity and performance as they advance in their careers, according to a TSC statement.
Teachers in Teachers Training Colleges [TTC] will be given priority for promotion vacancies and will not be in competition with secondary school teachers for TTC vacancies.
TSC will also publish a policy document regarding the empowerment and motivation of college instructors.
To ensure that teachers throughout the country receive adequate allowances, there will also be a commencement of house allowance harmonisation with Nairobi rates. A higher house allowance will be given to teachers in Cluster 4 and other locations.
“It is noteworthy that 87 percent of the public teaching service receives a dwelling allowance under the Cluster 4 category. These educators are primarily located in rural areas. The new salary structure will be implemented immediately with the August payroll and retroactive to July 1, 2023, according to the announcement.
TSC also consented to reevaluate the career progression and workload of special needs education teachers, particularly those stationed in special units. This will ensure that the instructors are optimally utilized.
TSC, Unions Agree on Teachers Salary Increase
