The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is pushing for a 70 per cent pay rise for teachers.
The union through its Secretary General Akello Misori said the 30-70 per cent demand by Kuppet is informed by the high cost of living which has reduced teachers’ disposable income.
This comes after the teacher employer Teachers Service Commission (TSC) through a letter called for a meeting with the unions.
The unions and the employer are set to begin talks over review of the 2021-2025 CBA today at the Kenya School of Government.
Kuppet wants the salaries of teachers (C2) who currently earn Ksh34, 955 to take home Ksh74, 279.
While those who earn Ksh131, 380 per month to be paid Ksh204, 952, an increase of 30 per cent.
At the same time, Misori said the union will reject the seven to 10 per cent salary proposed by the Salary and Remunerations Commission (SRC).
“We shall focus on where our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks stalled. We shall not slide to new proposals because we had already started talks on the salaries,” said Misori.
The SRC proposals mean that the lowest-paid teacher who takes home Ksh34, 955 will get a maximum of Ksh46, 752. While those presently earning Ksh131, 380 will get a maximum of Ksh168, 691 per month.
Misori said that basic salary increment, promotions, medical benefits and pension scheme will top their agenda.
Misori said the inflation rate has risen over time and teachers are not able to afford basic needs.
“The statutory deductions introduced recently namely the housing tax, superannuation pension scheme and NSSF have contributed to net income reduction thereby affecting the productivity of teachers,” he said.
He also said that the majority of teachers have stagnated in the same job group for a long after enhancing their academics.
“Many graduate teachers in job Group C3 have stagnated for more than five years while many diploma teachers have stagnated in grade C2. We propose the creation of more establishments in C4 to allow career progression,” Misori said.
By Vostine Ratemo
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us through: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper For timely updates.
