Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion has asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to increase their pay by up to 200 percent due to the impact of Covid-19 and inflation.
Sossion demands at least a 120 percent salary increase in the 2021-2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement since the government in 2017 gave nod to a raise of between 50 and 60 percent in the 2017-2021 CBA.
While addressing the press on Sunday, October 18, he said the basic salary should be increased by 5.0% annually, house allowance by 50% and accommodation and night allowance by 50% of minimum basic salary.
Sossion also proposed a 50 percent increase of the commuter allowance and a 10 percent increase of both risk and hardship allowances.
KNUT wants TSC to immediately start negotiations for the next CBA to expedite the implementation of their proposals. The current CBA, which was signed in October 2016, comes to an end on June 30, 2021.
Sossion argued that job evaluation for tutors was not done well before the 2017-2021 deal was signed, and now demands a thorough evaluation to make sure teachers are adequately compensated.
“The current CBA only favours teachers in administrative positions, leaving the classroom tutor with little increment over the last four years,” said the KNUT boss.
He faulted TSC for hastily passing on the proposals from KNUT and KUPPET to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission way before negotiations are completed.
“Before CBA proposals are presented to the SRC, unions ought to have been involved, tabled their proposals, discussed them. The commission should only present the details of discussions and their proposals after we have had our discussions,” he said.
On Thursday, October 15, KNUT rejected a basic salary increment proposal of between 16 and 32 percent from TSC on grounds that the offer was premature. TSC also recommended to SRC a 20 percent increase in commuter, house and leave allowances.
In its first proposal to TSC, the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers asked for a basic salary increase of between 50 and 60 percent. In addition, KUSNET Secretary General James Torome also wants a Ksh15,000 special allowance and Ksh30,000 guidance allowance every month. He suggested that special needs education teachers be paid Ksh15,000 uniform allowance per year.
KUSNET also wants the code of regulations for teachers to provide career progression guidelines where every teacher employed by TSC is facilitated to undergo career progression.
However, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said they have not rejected any offer from TSC and are ready to discuss and negotiate a new deal any time.
The Ksh54 billion 2017-2021 deal has continuously caused rifts between TSC and KNUT over the past four years and led to the employer block teachers’ quest for salary increment and promotions.
