A section of primary school teachers are up in arms after their August salaries were abruptly slashed following deal between Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT).
A report by Nation on Sunday, September 5, indicated that the tutors were deducted the finances as part of union agency fees.
The tutors were dismayed by the move arguing that they were deducted the money yet the deal KNUT secured from TSC was of a non-monetary type.
The deductions affected over 150,000 teachers who left KNUT shrinking the union's membership from 187,000 to just 15,000.
Confirming the deductions, KNUT deputy secretary-general Hesbon Otieno confirmed that the Commission had kicked of the deduction, which will be a monthly affair, in August.
“Primary school teachers who are not members of the union have been deducted the fee,” stated Otieno.
The teachers argue that they should not be compelled to pay the union fees yet a deal secured by KNUT did not have monetary benefits.
The tutors now want TSC to put a stop to the deductions.
As it stands now, KNUT deducts 2 per cent of member's salaries while Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (Kuppet) deducts 1.8 per cent.
In the agreement signed between the two entities, KNUT and TSC, on July 13, Secretary General Collins Oyuu noted that they had settled on a non-monetary agreement with basic pay review expected in a year's time.
Maternity extension was among the gains touted in the new deal.
"Indeed, today is a historic day for all teachers in this republic. We have come out of this day having signed a CBA with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC)," stated Oyuu at the time.
"I would like to tell our teachers that hope is still there. We have room to sit with TSC in a review process. Apart from the monetary gains that are not perceived to be there, we have quantified quite a number of gains with TSC in the said CBA."
"It is known to them as it is known to us that we must review this basic factor on the salary increment," added he Secretary General.
The event, which was held at Safari Park Hotel, included attendees from Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET).
