The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) now plans to strengthen its base and bargaining power by targeting increased membership through recruitment and retention, as well as enhancing its participation, ownership, and solidarity within the union.
At the same time, the country’s giant teacher union is planning to further improve the standards for its members through enhanced pay raises, both basic and additional allowances for its teachers, while also strengthening and restructuring its recruitment strategies in its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
The union plans to bridge the gap between the highest- and lowest-earning teachers to the international standard of 25 per cent in a bid to uplift the living standards of teachers, which is witnessed in its proposed 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that it has already submitted to the employer, Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
In the CBA, the union proposes that the lowest cadre of teachers, namely classroom teachers, receive a 100 per cent salary increase, while teachers in the administrative cadre receive a 50 per cent increase. It’s also pushing for a harmonised house allowance across the country, where a 20 per cent increase across all the grades for house allowance has been proposed.
Furthermore, KUPPET also aims to ensure that the revised daily subsistence allowance, which was bargained and agreed upon during the 2017-2021 negotiation cycle, is implemented in this cycle of the CBA. Subsequently, they are pressing for reimbursement of travel allowances to be pegged to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) Circular dated August 7, 2023.
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According to the circular, teachers at Grade C1 will be reimbursed at a rate of Kshs 6,300, those in grades C2 and C5 will be refunded at a rate of Kshs Kshs11, 200, while those at grades D1 and D5 will be reimbursed 14,000, with the rates applying to all cities, county headquarters, and all other towns.
Inclusivity in governance
KUPPET also aims to mainstream the Junior Secondary School (JSS), which has recently joined the union, so that its leadership can be incorporated into the union and further promote the greater involvement of women teachers in the union.
The union received a huge boost recently following confirmation by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) that 46,000 junior school teachers who had been on internship were moved to permanent and pensionable terms in January this year and joined the union (KUPPET).
Furthermore, KUPPET also aims to integrate and involve persons with disabilities and youths in its national leadership, to foster more inclusive representation and engagement within the union.
The union plans to conduct continuous recruitment campaigns across counties and sectors, targeting the recruitment of at least 80 per cent of all senior secondary teachers, an annual recruitment of tertiary education lecturers, and a countrywide recruitment of JSS teachers.
These activities are expected to ensure that 80 per cent of high school teachers are members of KUPPET, with 20 per cent of tertiary institution lecturers and 50 per cent of JSS teachers recruited.
Membership, participation, ownership, and solidarity
KUPPET also targets to empower 60 per cent of its membership to take ownership of their union and annually recognise active members through awards, acknowledgements, or other forms of appreciation in a bid to promote active membership participation at all levels.
This will be achieved through an elaborate plan that considers members’ expectations, needs, and demands by designing prompt response mechanisms to address their needs, adopting a call centre for members, and amplifying achievements and the union’s yearly plans.
In having an empowered, informed membership and leadership, KUPPET plans to design membership education and training programs on unionism, rights, and responsibilities; conduct induction and mentorship programs for new entrants into the teaching profession across all 47 counties; and also carry out branch, national leaders, and staff training on membership programs.
Within the 5-year period, the union also aims to continuously achieve unity among its members through collaborative initiatives by developing quality, competitive products for its members, such as the Walimu Solidarity Saving and Credit Co-operative (SACCO) Society; developing scholarship programs for needy children of KUPPET members; commencing a counseling service center for union members; and establishing enhanced network partnerships and linkages.
Furthermore, the union aims to organise county outreach programs for its members by developing a plan and implementing a mechanism for field visits at the county level, in addition to branch annual meetings and regular membership training on unionism and education.
By Roy Hezron
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