Ray of hope as TSC, unions meet to review salary deal
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has now invited tutors’ trade unions for a meeting on pay talks on Monday.
The meeting is expected to review the 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) given that the unions signed a non-monetary pact in 2021 with TSC amidst the harsh economic situation at that time.
The unions however, promised members that a review on the basic salary would be undertaken once the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) gives TSC a go ahead.
And in a letter dated August 15, TSC has since sent an invite to the unions on review of the CBA at the Kenya School of Government (KSG).
“The purpose of this letter is to invite you to a meeting with TSC scheduled for August 22 at 9.00am. The meeting will take place at Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete in Nairobi,” reads a letter from TSC.
Teacher unions include Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet), Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).
The invite comes against the backdrop of SRC announcement of a 7 – 10 per cent salary raise, which came as a relief for teachers who have been pushing for a pay rise.
Equity and fairness
Under the new arrangement, teachers are the biggest beneficiaries of the salary rise for civil servants, which will be backdated to July 1. SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich said the review is about harmonisation to achieve equity and fairness in remuneration and benefits in the public service within the principle of affordability and fiscal sustainability.
“Pursuant to the constitutional principle of affordability and fiscal sustainability, SRC engaged the National Treasury on funding. The National Treasury advised SRC to consider reviewing remuneration structure within a budget allocation of Sh27.7 billion for the year 2023/24,” said Mengich in a press conference two weeks ago.
Out of the Sh21.7 billion, the teaching service will receive 44.2 per cent or Sh9.5 billion under the new proposal.
According to the proposed salary increment for teachers after the Government’s proposal, the highest grade of D5 could earn at least Sh173,422.
In the rank of D5, the proposal shows that a 7 per cent increment will see teachers who earn a basic of Sh131,380 rise to a minimum of Sh140,577.
In the event of 10 percent, a teacher whose current basic pay is Sh157,657 will get a maximum of Sh173,422.
On the other hand, the lowest paid teacher in grade B5 will see a rise from the current Sh21,756 to a minimum of Sh23,279 if 7 per cent is effected and from the current Sh27,195 to a maximum of Sh29,915 if 10 per cent is implemented.
Against the backdrop of these developments, TSC announced on Saturday that at least 14,000 applicants will be promoted to higher job groups, even as mixed reactions were raised by those left out.
TSC has advertised for promotion vacancies about three times saying it lacked qualified applicants.
The Commission was allocated Sh1 billion for promotions this financial year.
At the same time, TSC said last month when launching its 2023/27 strategic plan that it requires an additional budget of Sh134 billion to ensure successful implementation of its activities in the next five years.
TSC Secretary, Nancy Macharia said the budget will among other functions cover recruitment of an additional 111,870 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms and engage another 100,000 interns under its newly launched to address the current shortage.
Other areas that the Commission seeks to cover within this period include establishing a teacher support institute, decentralizing key functions and promotion of teachers.
Intern teachers
“During the five-year plan period, we project to recruit a total of 111,870 teachers. I am happy to report that, in this financial year, the TSC has been allocated Sh4.68 billion for the recruitment of 20,000 intern teachers… For successful implementation of this plan over the next five years, the Commission will require an additional budget of Sh134.4,” said Macharia.
TSC’s target is to employ at least 22,000 teachers annually, which amounts to over Sh70 billion within the period.
The bulk of this funding is expected to come from the National Government, though the Commission also intends to supplement by strengthening its collaboration with stakeholders.
Macharia said that under the new strategic plan, the Commission has taken keen interest on the welfare of teachers who ultimately shape learners’ lives.
