By Correspondent
Teachers who were promoted from P1, ATS-4 and ATS-3 to ATS-1 (Job Group “L”) on account of their A-Level qualifications in 2010 have yet to be paid their salary arrears, Education News has learnt.
The teachers numbering over 4,000 are on a warpath with their employer – Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the National Treasury over the delayed arrears, saying they were due for promotion in 1996 when their colleagues who took a two-week course at Bondo and Kagumo Teacher Training Colleges were promoted to S1 grade.
Despite earlier promises that the Ministry of Education Science and Technology in liaison with TSC would address the pending promotions and salary arrears, nothing has come to pass.
In a letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Education Science and Technology, Amina Mohammed, CS for National Treasury, Henry Rotich; TSC Secretary/Chief Executive, Nancy Macharia; Salaries and Remuneration Commission, Union leadership, Parliamentary Committee on Education, Head of the Civil Service among other Government organs, the P1 A-Level Pressure Group demand that the arrears be paid in full and at once.
States the Pressure Group: “According to the Code of Regulations for Teachers, if a tutor earns an undue salary from TSC, the Commission would upon detection adjust the salary and recover any overpayment; in the same breath, if the teacher is underpaid by TSC, the Commission would upon detection adjust the salary and pay the commensurate arrears.
“In respect of this, the Pressure Group is requesting to have their arrears paid from 1996.” The letter is signed by Joshua Ngore Kiambati (Chairman), Kepha Mshambala (Treasurer), Gichana Isaac Manduku (Organizing Secretary) and David Thaguambi (Secretary).
The P1 A-Level teachers who went through the normal two-year training further lamented that since July 2010 when they were promoted en-masse, they have not been issued with letters of appointment to the subsequent grades they have been moved to which in effect would affect their retirement package when the leave service upon reaching 60 years.
“We were promoted from P1 to ATS-4; ATS-4 to ATS-3 and finally ATS-1 without subsequent letters of appointment indicating our progression in grades and scales. This is contrary to Labour laws and TSC’s Code of Regulations for Teachers,” said David Thagwambi Secretary – P1 A-Level Teachers Pressure Group.
This group of tutors are now demanding that their upgrading in 2010 should be backdated to July 1st, 1996 and paid salary arrears. They are also seeking for their progression in grades and salary scales should be captured in the subsequent letters of appointment in each grade served so that they don’t miss out on a full package when they retire from service upon reaching 60 years.
