The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has considered a joint protests with members of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) to demand for the rights of teachers.
Knut which is currently locked in a meeting at its headquarters in Nairobi will issue a briefing on state of teachers strike set to start on Monday next week.
Both Knut and Kuppet have summoned their top decision making organs before issuing final statement on teachers strike.
In a notice Kuppet has asked its National Governing Council (NGC) members to meet in Nairobi on Sunday 25th August 2024.
“You are hereby invited to a National Governing Council meeting which will take place on Sunday 25th August 2024 at Kasarani Sportsview Hotel, Nairobi starting from 9.00 a.m,” reads a memo signed by Kuppet secretary general, Akelo Misori.
Knut on the other hand had summoned its branch secretaries who are members of the National Executive Counci (NEC) to attend a meeting in Nairobi today Saturday by 10.00 a.m.
Both unions are facing pressure from government to end the teachers strike and allow normalcy to return in schools.
The unions are also getting pressure from a section of teachers who want the strike to be called off so that the Commission can release the salaries with backdated arrears.
The teachers argue that the bone of contention with the Commission was CBA implementation which has now been honoured.
The strike threat has left parents at crosswords especially those with children in far away boarding schools.
The meetings comes at a time when sources have revealed that TSC will not pay salaries to striking teachers.
TSC has withdrawn the August payroll a day after meeting teachers unions and other education stakeholders.
TSC had readied its machineries and was set to release the August payroll to banks and saccos for immediate payment of teachers salaries but withdrew the plan at the eleventh hour after making some considerations.
Teachers had, the whole of Friday, waited with bated breath for their accounts to be credited with August salaries with arrears backdated to 1, July.
After a lengthy talk with teachers unions TSC had promised to pay teachers salaries starting Friday and complete the exercise by Saturday.
However it was ‘black smoke’ in all bank and sacco branches countrywide as the Commission failed to honour its promise.
Sources have revealed that the Commission considered withdrawing the offer over the pending teachers strike slated to start next week.
“TSC will use the August salary as a weapon to force teachers back to class. Only teachers who resume duties will get their pay. Heads of Institutions will avail data of those who will report next week. TSC will also pay KUSNET members cause they are not taking part in the strike,” reveals the source.
He further said the August salaries will only be paid after the attendance details of teachers are received at the TSC headquarters in Nairobi.
Both Knut and Kuppet members have vowed to down tools starting 26th August 2024 when schools are scheduled to reopen.
This is after TSC addressed only one issue out of the five they had raised. TSC only agreed to implement the sh13 billion second phase of teachers’ pay deal.
In the deal teachers will get an increment of up to Sh2, 570 for the least paid (B5), to Sh393 for the highest earners (D5).
This means that the new salaries of the lowest paid teachers will range between a minimum of Sh23, 830 to a maximum of Sh29, 787.
The new salary scales for highest paid teacher will range from a minimum of Sh131,389 and a maximum of Sh162,539.
In addition, teachers will also benefit from four allowances: commuter, house, leave and hardship.
The allowances will range from Sh3,850 to a maximum of Sh50,000. Specifically, commuter allowance will range between Sh4,000 to Sh16,000.
Those who will get housing allowance will be paid Sh3,850 and Sh50,000. While leave allowance has been put between Sh4,000 and Sh10,000.
Teachers who will get hardship allowances will be paid between Sh6,600 and Sh38,100.
Macharia said the salary adjustments will be reflected in teachers’ August payslips, with arrears backdated to July 1, 2024 when implementation was set to begin.
This means that teachers will get more money at the end of this month when the backdated amounts are released.
The boom comes after the teachers received a similar increment last year in the first phase of 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
On Wednesday, TSC said it had received the billions to implement the pay increment fully.
“After today’s discussions, the Commission is pleased to announce that the Government has provided funds for the implementation of the 2d phase of the CBA with effect from July 1, 2024,” Dr Macharia said after meeting unions.
This means that over 370,000 teachers across the country will receive a salary increase as the second phase of the CBA, from August.
Teachers in pay Grade B5, the lowest-ranking teachers, will get a minimum pay rise of Sh1,037. This means that their salaries will increase from Sh22,793 to 23,830.
However, the highest scale earners in this job group will take home Sh29,787.
This is the final implementation of the deal signed in August last year by Knut, Kuppet and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet).
On Wednesday, Dr Macharia, said that the necessary funds have been allocated to facilitate the payment.
In their joint statement, the unions said: “The Commission confirmed that it had received the full budgetary allocation for the CBA,” unions statement said.
“Accordingly, teachers would receive their full benefits and arrears for July in their August payslips. The payroll was to be concluded later today for teachers to receive their salaries immediately, the Commission assured us.”
Even with the assurance to fully honour the CBA deal, KNUT and KUPPET maintained that their strike will continue, citing the TSC’s failure to address other outstanding issues.
These include the promotion of 130,000 teachers and the confirmation of 46,000 intern teachers.
Dr. Macharia, however urged teachers to return to work on Monday for the start of the Third Term, emphasizing that the government has released the funds required to implement the second phase of the CBA.
Other issues that the trade unions said must be resolved include a review of the Career Progression Guidelines and remittance of third-party deductions.
The unions also want issues on medical scheme resolved so that members can access public and private hospitals.
