- The teacher unions had issued a strike notice and directed teachers to stay away from classrooms from Monday, August 16, 2024.
- TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said the government provided funds for the implementation of the 2nd phase of the CBA with effect from July 1, 2024.
Image: COURTESY
The planned nationwide teachers' strike may be called off before Monday if the internal organs of three teacher unions endorse a deal reached with the Teachers Service Commission.
On Wednesday, TSC met with officials of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) over the delayed implementation of the reviewed 2021–25 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
The CBAs were signed in June 2021 and amended by an addendum in August 2023.
The first phase was to be implemented by June 30, 2024, and the second phase effected on July 1, 2024.
In a statement, TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said that following the discussions, the government provided funds for the implementation of the 2nd phase of the CBA with effect from July 1, 2024.
“Effectively, the unions have noted the TSC position and agreed to consult their internal organs with a view to withdrawing the strike notice. We, therefore, wish to thank the unions for engaging the Commission to ensure non-disruption of learning in schools during the Third Term, 2024,” Macharia said.
The teacher unions had issued a strike notice and directed teachers to stay away from classrooms from Monday, August 16, 2024.
Among their demands are the full implementation of the 2021–25 CBA, the promotion of 130,000 stagnated teachers, the allocation of Sh15 billion for teachers' medical cover, and the release of teachers’ emoluments for July 2024.
They also want the teachers’ employer to remit all loans and NSSF deductions to the statutory bodies, saying the commission has, since June 2024, deducted the monies but failed to remit them to third-party agents including banks.
Macharia said a number of the above issues and several others the teacher unions had raised were resolved during Wednesday’s meeting.
They include the Career Progression Guidelines, which she said are ongoing and up-to-date remittance of third-party deductions.
She said teachers have also been provided with medical cover and can now access both public and private hospitals under the Teachers Medical Scheme.
“The TSC has promoted 51,232 teachers under competitive promotions and a further 20,000 annually on common cadre,” Macharia said.
She added that the government has provided resources for the retooling of teachers for the implementation of CBC.
The meeting followed an order by President William Ruto for the commission to reach a consensus with teachers to avert the planned strike.
Macharia thanked the government for providing enough resources for the CBA and all other teacher programmes despite the harsh economic environment.
She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to provide a conducive working environment for all the teachers in the country.
“We are therefore beseeching all our teachers to report to schools on Monday for the start of the Third Term now that the government has released funds for the implementation of the second phase of the 2021-2025 СВА,” she said.