- The unions are demanding immediate confirmation of all current intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms effective July 1.
- “We also demand the recruitment of 20,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms to address the huge deficit in Junior Secondary Schools.”
Image: FILE
Two unions have given the Teachers Service Commission a seven-day notice to address six concerns failing which their members will go on strike from August 26.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) cited steady deterioration of conditions of work over the commission's alleged rescinding on past agreements.
The unions have demanded full implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) or order industrial action.
“Kuppet and Knut have today joined forces to demand the immediate resolution of six issues causing unrest among our members,” the unions said in a joint statement.
They accused TSC of breaching the agreement for failing to implement the second phase of the Addendum effective from July 1, 2024, for all teachers, including basic salaries and allowances.
“The operating collective bargaining agreements between the two unions and the Teachers Service Commission were signed in June 2021 and amended by an addendum in August 2023. The CBAs have full force of the law, having been registered at the Employment and Labour Relations Court in accordance with the Industrial Charter, the Constitution of Kenya and the applicable laws,” they said.
They further demanded the conversion of Junior Secondary School teachers and new employment terms.
The unions are demanding immediate confirmation of all current intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms effective July 1, and the remittance of their full salaries for the month.
“We also demand the recruitment of 20,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms to address the huge deficit in Junior Secondary Schools,” they added.
The government reduced the recurrent budget of the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) by Sh10.2 billion.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia appeared before the Departmental Committee on Education on May 14 and 15, 2024, and submitted that the overall recurrent budget of the commission had been reduced by 10,281,147,858.
As a result of the reduction, Macharia said there would be a delay in implementing the second phase of the 2021-2025 CBA between TSC and teacher unions, which had been allocated Sh10 billion.
Committee chair Julius Melly said in a report the sum total of this was that teachers may resort to strikes and disruption of teaching and learning in public schools as well as litigations in courts.
“The implication of this is that teachers will not receive salary increments envisaged in the CBA,” he said.
“Industrial unrest is something which this government may not wish to deal with at this time given the current unease situation in the country hence the need to ensure that this allocation is provided,” the committee advised.
Kuppet and Knut have further demanded the promotion of 130,000 stagnated teachers.
“These teachers were already shortlisted and interviewed for the new grades in 2023 but failed to get their appointments only due to the lack of a budget for their promotions,” the unions said.
On teachers’ medical cover, the unions said members are in untenable situation where they can hardly access healthcare services.
“The unions are concerned by the reduction in the current Appropriations Act of the provision for teachers’ medical cover by Sh11,889,413,833 which will cut the benefits to teachers by 50 per cent,” the unions added.
They also decried non-remittance of loans and National Social Security Fund deductions from teachers’ salaries.
The unions further demanded a commitment on new CBA. “With less than a year to the termination of the 2021-2025 CBA, the commission is still buying time on the new CBA round,” they said.