TSC , CS Migos meets Knut to avert planned teachers strike

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) will meet officials of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) today over the 2021 – 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

TSC has also planned to meet officials of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and Kenya Union of Special Education Teachers (Kusnet).

The agreement reviewed the remuneration payable to teachers which was to be implemented in two phases. The first phase was implemented on 1^st July 2023.

The second phase was to be implemented on 1^st July 2024. Teachers were to get salary changes in their July 2024 payslips but this did no happen as TSC said it lacked funds to implement it.

Both Knut and Kuppet have threatened to paralyze learning when schools reopen in third term in August.

On Monday President William Ruto appended his signature to the Supplementary Appropriation (No. 2) that will compensate after the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 that resulted in revenue shortfall of sh344 billion.

Teachers phase 2 salary increment was not captured in the Supplementary budget.

Knut has declared that its members will not accept anything less than the second phase of the 2.5% to 9% salary increment awarded in 2023.

Any deviation from this increment, according to the union, would be seen as an act of treachery, a breach of contract, and a violation of their labour rights.

Knut expressed strong disapproval over recent budget cuts, emphasizing that such reductions undermine a legally binding agreement signed between the TSC and Knut in 2021, which was duly deposited in the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

The union argues that the CBA, which stipulates a 2.5% to 9% salary increment for teachers, should not be compromised by the National Treasury’s budgetary decisions.

“It has come to our knowledge that despite 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 Sh357,773,737,118 should not be reduced, the National Treasury has indeed gone ahead to cut down the budget by Sh10 billion. The government has whittled down TSC’s
budget, which certainly would affect the implementation of the second phase of the teachers’ CBA,” said Collins Oyuu, Secretary-General of Knut.

This stance comes in response to recent budget cuts imposed by the National Treasury on the TSC, reducing the budget from Sh357.7 billion to Sh347.5 billion. Knut argues that this will undermine the implementation of the 2021-2025 СВА.

The union maintains that such a significant reduction in the budget is a direct violation of the CBA and undermines the agreed-upon increments for teachers.

Knut is now calling on the National Treasury to restore the full Sh10 billion to ensure that the CBA is honoured.

The new Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba was approved by Parliamentarians yesterday after the vetting exercise ended.

During the vetting, CS Migos said he will negotiate with teachers to postpone the CBA implementation due to current financial challenges.

In the agreement the House allowance rates will change and is to be paid as categorized in four clusters. Cluster 1: Nairobi City Cluster 2: Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru Cities, Nyeri, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Malindi and Kitale municipalities. Cluster 3: Other former municipalities. Cluster 4: All other areas.

The House allowance rates for Clusters 1, 2 and 3 were retained. However, Cluster 4 rates were reviewed to be implemented in two phases.