The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and tutors’ unions have today met at the Kenya Institute of Special Education, KISE headquarters for the high anticipated 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement deal signing.
This comes after the previous negotiation meeting flops after the teachers’ employer failed to present a counter offer on the negotiation table.
The meeting also comes after TSC had a meeting with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to agree on a counteroffer to the union demands which will set in new guidelines for salaries and remuneration outlook.
The move comes amid pressure from the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) who have decried stalled negotiations for the 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) after the last one expired last month.
KUPPET secretary general recently confirmed the today meeting, warning of not signing a monetary CBA.
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“We are going to the negotiation table with an open mind. We have already submitted a proposal to the TSC and are waiting for a counter-offer, which we anticipate by Friday,” Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said yesterday.
“Without that, we cannot dissect or respond to anything meaningfully.”
The last CBA expired on June 30, leaving teachers without a structured framework to guide salaries, benefits and career progression.
“We will not accept a non-monetary deal. Teachers have borne the brunt of inequality in remuneration for nearly six years,” Misori said.
“We signed a non-monetary CBA in 2021, citing the challenge of the pandemic. Covid-19 is long gone but the inequalities persist.”
The unions are demanding an increase on the allowances for teachers and retention of gazetted hardship zones.
Knut is pushing for improvements in the financial welfare and professional growth of its members.
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The plan includes a 60 per cent pay rise for the lowest-paid teachers and 50 per cent for those in higher job groups, with Knut citing inflation and wage disparities in the civil service.
Knut also wants a 30 per cent increase in allowances, including hardship, commuter and house – which it says have remained stagnant for many years despite the rising cost of living and regional differences in working conditions.
It is asking for new benefits, such as risk allowance for science teachers, overtime and incentives for post-graduate qualifications.
Another matter is the enhancement of medical cover, with calls for greater involvement of teachers in managing the scheme to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability.
Knut is pushing for clearer promotions, citing frustration over stalled career growth and favoritism.
Kuppet is calling for a basic salary increment of 0 to 100 per cent for its members. It is also pushing for a 20 per cent rise in house allowance.
The union also wants an expansion of hardship zones and a review of the allowance, which it says ranges from Ksh6, 600 to about Ksh38, 100.
Misori said Kuppet proposes leave allowance to be pegged on one month’s basic salary, with suggested payouts of Ksh59, 574 to Ksh226, 743.
By Brian Ndigo
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