Learning during the third term might face interruptions if the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) fail to implement the second phase of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
Phase two of the CBA, signed in 2021 with an addendum in 2023, was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2024, with phase one—which addressed teachers’ salaries and allowances—already implemented. The CBA was structured to be rolled out in two phases.
While speaking in Trans Nzoia, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT)Secretary General, Collins Oyuu, declared that teachers would initiate a strike on August 26 if their demands are not addressed.
“TSC has failed to fulfill the second phase of the CBA, which we signed and registered with the Labour Relations Court,” Oyuu stated during the KNUT Trans Nzoia branch AGM at the ASK Showground in Kitale recently.
Oyuu emphasized that all union branches have approved the strike, ruling out any further negotiations with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) concerning the CBA’s implementation.
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He also condemned the Commission for employing Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on an internship basis, labeling it a breach of labor rights.
“You can’t hire a qualified teacher on an intern basis. The least TSC could have done was to hire the teachers on a contract basis, pending their transition to permanent and pensionable terms,” said Oyuu.
He further criticized the job evaluation exercise conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), alleging it unjustly favored headteachers, deputies, and heads of departments, thus marginalizing other teachers.
“The next job evaluation exercise, to be carried out by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, should treat all teachers equitably, whether they hold administrative roles or are classroom teachers,” said Oyuu.
By Osborne Benn
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