Teacher’s August Salary To Delay due to Pending CBA Talks
Teachers under the employment of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will experience an unusual delay in receiving their August salaries. This situation has arisen due to unsuccessful discussions aimed at revising the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) held on Tuesday in Kabete, Nairobi.
Both the Knut and Kuppet teacher unions are scheduled to reconvene with the TSC on Monday in Naivasha for a second attempt to reach an agreement on salaries. The TSC has indicated that August salaries may be withheld until the CBA negotiations conclude.
The TSC is required to provide August salaries with the salary increment mandated by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Despite this, the TSC has already fulfilled certain financial obligations on behalf of teachers, such as insurance premiums and loans.
Due to the protracted negotiations, teachers might not receive their August salaries until the following Friday. Furthermore, the TSC will publish and distribute updated salaries and allowances for teachers within job groups B5 to D5.
The SRC had previously announced a salary increase of 7 to 10%, implemented in two phases and retroactive from July 1, 2023. However, the TSC intends to incorporate this pay raise into the CBA agreed upon with teacher unions in 2021.
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The TSC’s proposed salary adjustment, ranging from 2.4% to 9.5%, was rejected by the unions. They had sought a 9.5% increment for the lowest-paid teacher and 2.4% for those in the highest grades.
The unions had initially negotiated the 7-10% agreement with President Ruto, aiming to alleviate the country’s challenging economic situation. This occurred during discussions surrounding the Finance Bill 2023, which has since been signed into law.
Kuppet secretary Mr. Akello Misori expressed disappointment with the TSC’s proposal, describing it as insufficient and falling short of the SRC’s advice. He emphasized that the negotiations had been delayed by the pandemic after Kuppet presented its salary increment proposals in 2019.
Both unions questioned the need for negotiations if the SRC’s recommendations were already in place, and they expressed the need for greater financial support for lower-paid teachers within the CBA.
Teacher’s August Salary To Delay due to Pending CBA Talks
