Teachers have reason to smile as pay deal honoured

From left: Teachers Service Commission CEO Nancy Macharia, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion and TSC chairperson Lydia Nzomo at a past function. The agency has announced that teachers' July salaries are out. FILE PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE |

What you need to know:

  • The salaries for all the 312,060 teachers were converted to the new grading structure.
  • Ms Macharia said teachers will continue drawing all the applicable allowances.

The teacher’s employer on Friday honoured a pay deal signed last year by releasing Sh17.3 billion to go towards the increase of their salaries for the first phase.

The salaries for all the 312,060 teachers were converted to the new grading structure.

“The payroll has been run and payslips uploaded on the online platform for access by teachers,” the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said.

TAXPAYERS
The TSC boss said the new salaries reflected on the payslips were as per the signed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and the implementation matrix agreed on between them and the teachers’ unions - Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers.

The four-year deal will cost taxpayers Sh54 billion.

It means that the salary of a teacher at grade B5 is now Sh19,224 up from Sh16,692, while the highest paid in this group will take home Sh24,250 up from Sh21,304.

PAY PHASE
The new salary for the highest paid teacher, the chief principal in Job Group R (D5), is Sh148,360 up from Sh144,929 while the lowest paid chief principal in Job Group Q (D5) will get Sh102,807 up from Sh89,748.

Ms Macharia said more than 156,000 teachers in lower cadre will have their salaries paid in two phases while for the rest it will be done in four phases.

“Payment has been released to respective financial institutions where teachers operate salary accounts.

"Depending on time taken by different financial institutions to process payment, teachers will access their salaries from Saturday, July 29,” Ms Macharia said.

TSC COMMITTED
She explained that in addition to the new salary structure, teachers will continue drawing all the applicable allowances.

“The commission wishes to reiterate its commitment to the full implementation of the CBAs as signed.

"In this regard, the next phase for the 156,000 benefiting from the two-phase implementation will be effected on July 1, 2018 while the final phase for the others will be paid out on July 1, 2020,” the commission secretary said.

LEARNING
She went on: “TSC would like to thank teachers for their patience and understanding during the negotiation and implementation process.

"Further, the commission urges teachers to re-dedicate themselves to the noble task of providing quality learning to the Kenyan children.”

An analysis from the payment matrix indicates that for senior principals in job group P (D4), the lowest paid is Sh87,900 from Sh77,527 while the highest paid will take home Sh109,249 up from Sh103,894.

DEPUTIES
The new salary for principals in job group M (D3) will be Sh59,286 up from Sh41,590 with the highest paid getting Sh68,428 from Sh55,840.

For principals in job group N (D3), the new salary is Sh65,242 from Sh48,190 while highest paid in this category is set to get Sh77,840 up from Sh65,290.

In the deputy principals III category, who fall under Job group N (D2), the lowest paid will now get Sh59,286 up from Sh48,190 while the new salaries for the highest paid will be Sh77,840 up from Sh65,290.

KNUT RESPONSE

Knut secretary-general Wilson Sossion said the deal was the best for teachers.

“The matrix is as a result of a winding journey that involved far and wide consultations and exhaustive negotiations,” Mr Sossion said.