TSC, Knut to meet over effecting of CBA

The Teachers Service Commission will this Friday meet with education stakeholders to brief them on implementation of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed last year.

The one-day meeting has been organised by the TSC in Naivasha to sensitize teacher’s union leaders and secondary and primary school heads association officials on the 2017-2021 CBA.

However, Kenya National Union of Teachers has objected to the inclusion of heads of associations, saying they were not part of the negotiators of the deal that is expected to cost taxpayers Sh54 billion.

CONSULT FIRST

The implementation of the deal annually will cost Sh13.7 billion and is expected to start in July.

In a letter dated April 28 to TSC, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said: "We maintain that we sit within the law, negotiating team should be the one involved in the meeting and not any other stakeholders."

The union’s deputy secretary general Hesbon Otieno said he will consult with the chairman Mudzo Nzili on Wednesday to check whether they will attend the meeting or not.

"We have not decided on the issue but once we agree with the chairman, I will give you the position of the union," he said.

END STRIKES

Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers' chairman Omboko Milemba and his Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association counterpart Kahi Indimuli will attend.

"Yes, we will be available for the meeting. We look forward to make our input before it’s implemented," Mr Milemba said, adding that the union will appreciate if the CBA is implemented in one phase.

Mr Milemba thanked the government for the way it handled the teachers CBA this time, noting that it is clear that the money will be paid to more than 290,000 teachers starting July.

"This is the best way to go if the government honours this deal so that we do not have persistent strikes and disturbance in the education sector."

QUALITY LEARNING

During the signing of the accord last year, TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia said that quality in the sector has been introduced, for employees will be evaluated on merit.

"In determining remuneration of teachers, the main guiding principle was the relative worth of the job.

"The worth of every job has been determined based on the category and size of school, level of responsibility, decision-making and the impact of decisions made at every level," Mrs Macharia said.

The CBA established a new grading and salary structure based on the principle of equal pay for equal work with all primary and post-primary teachers in non-administrative positions moving from Grade B5 (former Job H) to D1 (formerly Job Group P).

Primary school administrators are also supposed to be appointed substantively and the lowest placed will be at grade C2 (formerly Job Group K) and the highest at D1 (formerly P), depending on the category and size of the school.