Knut statement on status of teachers CBA phase 2 implementation
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF KENYA NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS (KNUT), MR. COLLINS HENRY OYUU ON JULY 26TH 2024:
For Immediate
It has come to the knowledge of Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) that despite Teachers Service Commission (TSC) going to great pains to convince both the Departmental Committee on Education and Research, and the Budget and Appropriation Committee why the Commission’s budget of Khs.357,773,737,118 should not be reduced, the National Treasury has indeed gone ahead to cut down the Budget by Khs.10 billion.
The Government has whittle-down TSC budget which certainly would affect the implementation of the Second Phase of teachers’ CBA.
KNUT emphatically states as follows:
We are aware that TSC has not paid the final increment the teachers July 2024 salary as expected which is against the agreement and not acceptable.
The CBA in question is a legal and binding document which was signed between TSC and KNUT in 2021, and rightly deposited in the Employment and Labour Relations Court — hence, there is no way the National Treasury which is fully aware of the existence and content of the Agreement can backtrack on the CBA by failing to fund adequately TSC to meet it contractual obligations as regards implementing 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The implementation of the 2021/2025 teachers’ CBA should not whatsoever be tied on Finance Bill, 2024 nor Appropriation Bill, 2024 as the TSC/KNUT Agreement was negotiated and signed in 2021, reviewed in 2023 and appropriately factored in the 2021/2025 contractual spendings of the National Government. Thus, the National Treasury has zero option but to fund TSC adequately to meet its financial obligations.
The National Treasury should restore unconditionally the Shs10 billion it has reduced from the TSC budget of Shs357,773,737,118 to Shs347,492,589,260 — the reduction amounts to violation of the CBA, a move that is illegal and immoral. Further, it should be noted that as is, the CBA has not been withdrawn by the two parties (TSC and KNUT), hence the Agreement has to be implemented to the later.
To this end, the National Government should live up to its promise of awarding teachers’ the 2nd phase salary increment as stipulated in the amended 2021/2025 CBA.
Teachers would not accept anything short of the 2nd phase of the 2.5% to 9% salary increment awarded in 2023 since it would be an act of treachery, breach of contract and a violation of teachers’ labour rights.
KNUT therefore calls on TSC to use all means within its reach to ensure that the Agreement which is legal and still binding is honoured through compelling the National Assembly to approve TSC’s Shs357,773,737,118 Budget without amendment failure to which the Union will use all legal means within her disposal to ensure full compliance.