The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has cancelled plans for industrial action after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) formally invited them for Collective Bargaining Agreement, (CBA) talks.
In a decisive turn, KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori confirmed that the union had revoked its strike notice issued last month, citing a positive development.
“We have withdrawn the strike notice because the employer has officially invited us to begin negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on Wednesday, July 2,” stated Misori when addressing the media.
The long-awaited negotiations mark the first formal engagement since KUPPET submitted its salary review demands to TSC in October 2024. According to Misori, teachers are seeking salary increases ranging from 30 to 70 percent to cushion them from the country’s evolving economic reality.
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“The economic hardship facing teachers is unbearable,” he noted, expressing optimism that the talks would result in tangible financial relief.
Misori spoke on the sidelines of the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association meeting in Mombasa, where over 7,000 principals from across the country had gathered.
Among KUPPET’s pressing proposals is a call to halve the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle from four years to two citing rapid inflation and unpredictable economic trends?
“The union wants a reduction of the CBA cycle from four years to two years and a 100 per cent increase on selected allowances,” said Misori.
He pointed to the plight of teachers stationed in Nairobi, who are grappling with skyrocketing living costs. “A teacher in Kenya High School in Nairobi cannot afford to live in the houses in the surroundings of the school, forcing them to live far, where they spend almost their salary on transport,” he lamented.
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Beyond the salary issue, KUPPET is also zeroing in on structural reforms in career advancement within the teaching profession. The union plans to push for automatic promotions up to the deputy principal level and is demanding resolution of a promotion backlog affecting 130,000 teachers shortlisted in the 2023/2024 financial year.
“Our key demand as KUPPET for the new CBA is the clearance of the backlog in promotion for 130,000 teachers who have qualified and been shortlisted,” Misori affirmed.
He further revealed that while many teachers are stuck in grades C3 to C5, others occupying D2 remain unconfirmed despite taking on expanded administrative roles. Some principals in D3 have reportedly stagnated for over three years, even after their institutions were elevated from sub-county to higher status. KUPPET is also urging TSC to advertise vacant chief principal slots to unlock stalled career growth.
By Masaki Enock
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