The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) negotiations on the new 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) failed to kick off on Tuesday, June 1, after TSC failed to present a counter offer on the same.
KNUT officials who stormed out of the meeting stated that the TSC called for a meeting which they were not prepared for.
Acting TSC chief executive Evaleen Mitei had scheduled for the meeting at the commission’s offices where a counteroffer was expected to be presented to KNUT in response to its demands in their 2025-2029 CBA.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Union headquarters KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu expressed outrage over what he termed as TSC’s unpreparedness for a meeting they had called.
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“We shall not accept anything until TSC places a counter-offer for them to negotiate,” said Oyuu, calling the stalemate a direct threat to industrial harmony in the education sector.
Oyuu who was accompanied with the union officials among them National Chairman Patrick Karinga stated that TSC have seven days to present the counteroffer or the union calls for industrial action.
KNUT, having tabled its proposals with input from education and labour experts, lamented that TSC summoned them to the negotiation table without any offer of its own.
The SG also criticized the commission’s focus on non-monetary issues, asserting that teachers expected a package covering both monetary and non-monetary aspects.
The Union dismissed speculation of betrayal between KNUT and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) referencing their joint rejection of the 2019 cashless CBA.
“Our interest has always been one, bring the counter-offer and you have an ultimatum. Our teachers are waiting,” he warned.
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Some of the proposals in the 2025 -2029 CBA include an annual wage increment of 60 per cent of their basic salary; the union is also pressing for a 30 per cent increase in allowances across all the grades and also enhanced medical cover for teachers.
KNUT is further pushing for a rise in hardship allowances and joint consultations by the employer regarding review or declassification of any hardship area. They differed with TSC on degazettement of hardship areas stating that the areas should be increased rather than dropped.
By Obegi Malack
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