The decision to deduct kshs 200/- for all members of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) seems not to augur well with a section of the members.
This group of teachers are opposed to what they term as ‘forced deductions’ into their already overburdened payslips.
BBF is an abbreviation that stands for Burial Benevolent Funds. Its a form of contribution scheme where teachers pay a certain amount that will cater for their burial expenses upon death.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) launched such scheme for its members where those joining pay kshs 200 every month through check off system.
Joining BBF is a personal decision. In fact one can be a member of BBF and not a Knut member.
BBF will pay a certain amount immediately a member dies to the bereaved family to cater for the burial expenses.
BBF also provide a hearse that will help transport a teachers body from morgue to burial site.
However a resolution which was adopted by Kuppet National Governing Council in June this year to have BBF deduction revised upward is the new bone of contention between Kuppet officials and its members.
Usually Kuppet members contribute kshs 100 into their BBF kitty every month. Kuppet top governing body also made it compulsory for all Kuppet members to join BBF in their June resolution.
This means all members of Kuppet will automatically join BBF and be subjected to a kshs 200 monthly contributions.
A section of members have opposed this decision and have taken it to social media and protest and vent their anger.
Kuppet National Governing Council says following the decision to raise BBF contribution it will have another sitting to revise the benefits each member gets following the changes.
Members asked to boycott marking of national exams
On Friday, July 6, Kuppet top officials asked its teachers not to take up any Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) jobs including marking national examinations until payment policies are developed and implemented.
Kuppet Secretary General, Akelo Misori, noted that teachers who were contracted to mark the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education have not been paid four months after being involved in the exercise.
“In light of this grave violation, the union asks all its members to boycott all KNEC exercises until teachers’ compensations issues are addressed through a framework of a Collective Bargaining Agreement,” Misori stated.
The Secretary General also asked the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to step in and ensure that the money is released to teachers immediately.
Misori also urged the TSC to develop and implement policies guiding the involvement of teachers by other government agencies.
“In particular, the commission should join Kuppet in pushing for the development of regulations for the management of examinations as envisaged under the KNEC Act,” Misori stated.
He also noted that KNEC has been subjecting teachers to poor working conditions including travelling, accommodation, and remuneration during marking exercises.
“To add insult to injury, the council is currently reviewing its regulations to further burden teachers by merging examination centers and cutting back on the already poor compensation per script,” Misori noted.
KNEC ordered schools with less than 30 KCPE and KCSE candidates to register their students in the neighboring schools, something that Misori says will erode the autonomy of schools, increase examiners distance, and undermine the security of examination materials.
In 2020, some 227,679 teachers were recruited as invigilators, supervisors, center managers, and examiners.
