Teachers In Frustrations After the TSC Table Offer of Less Than SRCs 7–10%
Teachers In Frustrations After the TSC Table Offer of Less Than SRCs 7–10%. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and three unions are set to go back to the drawing board after a disagreement over how teachers should be paid at salary review talks that began in Nairobi yesterday.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), the Kenya Union of Primary Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Teachers (Kusnet) met with TSC representatives but said they were not satisfied with the commission’s initial proposals. . All parties agreed to hold further discussions on Monday, when new proposals will likely be presented.
Union officials said they hope to negotiate based on the 2021-25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which seeks a base salary increase of between 30 and 70 percent for Cuppet members. According to the document, Knuth demanded a 60 percent wage increase for his members.
Secretary general Knut and Kuppet Collins Oyuu and Akelo Misori expressed their displeasure at the recent TSC announcement by President William Ruto and the initial discussion about the union’s disagreement on wages with the salary commission adviser. The union argued that as an independent commission, the TSC had the right to set wages for employees without advice or guidance from the Wages Commission.
It also objected to TSC’s proposal for senior teachers, which had changed from seven percent to 10 percent as recommended by the SRC, and proposed a 2.5 percent raise. Lower grade teachers have been offered a similar percentage, which is lower than the 9.5 percent previously recommended by the SRC.
Kenya’s inflation is around seven percent, and wage increases will be below inflation, meaning workers are unlikely to suffer from the high cost of goods and services.
“It is unfortunate that what TSC has to offer is less than what SRC has to offer,” Misori said after a meeting with TSC representatives at the Kenya School of Government.
Oyuu: “The 7-10 percent is a squeeze for teachers and civil servants due to the tough economic times of our country. So, when we thank the President very much, we want to speak to the TSC and tell them that what we expect in the session is not what they have sent to us,” he said.
The union informed about the president’s announcement and SRC advisers said they had gone to the talks hoping to get an offer, but their hopes were dashed.
“Although what the President announced is not in line with what TSC thought because it found a fee like 9.5 percent for underclassmen and 2.4 percent for high school students and suggested that the fee will be removed. two years,” Missouri accused TSC of prolonging the treatment of teachers.
“We have given them until Monday to prepare an outstanding proposal that we can discuss.”
The TSC, meanwhile, issued a printed copy of the first proposal to the union and asked employees to study the document and make recommendations at the next meeting.
It was a step in the right direction as the two unions sought audience with the TSC and the commission called for talks.
“We ask the teachers to be very patient because it takes a lot of effort so that we can have the final session on Monday,” Misori said.
Cuppet said he won’t hold talks, at least for now, and that the union has more time to negotiate until teachers give employers what they agreed to.
Negotiations on the initial pay review were scheduled to begin in 2020, but have been pushed back to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In July 2021, the union re-signed a non-cash CBA due to Covid, but wants to review it before the CBA expires next year.
“As guaranteed in our negotiations and we can wait until we receive royalties from the president in the range of seven to 10 percent, but the Treasury has received and the SRC has recommended,” said Misori. .
The union leader, Knuth, like his colleagues, does not understand why the TSC is reducing the officers appointed by the President and the SRC.
“We asked them a question. What are you going to bring to us if we say the president did not announce seven percent to 10 percent? So what we are talking about is nothing more than the announcement of the president,” he said.
The proposal, made by the president and approved by the wage commission, will take effect on July 1, but union leaders said members have not yet seen whether it will be reflected in their salaries.
Yesterday, Oyuu said the union would ask the TSC to submit the SRC and then agree with the employer on the Knut implementation schedule.
Teachers In Frustrations After the TSC Table Offer of Less Than SRCs 7–10%