Teachers miss September pay again

Knut and Kuppet members hold joint demonstrations in the streets of Kisumu on September 7, 2015. The Teachers Service Commission on November 24, 2015 released November salaries for the tutors but without September salaries which teachers have been waiting for. FILE PHOTO | TONY OMONDI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The TSC is dragging its feet in effecting the President’s deal which entailed payment of teachers’ September salaries, withdrawal of all cases filed by the parties and a new four-year collective bargaining agreement to be reached within a month.
  • Speaking to Nation.co.ke, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said that he expected that before they commence the talks, the TSC should have paid the September salaries and also wired the union dues.
  • Teachers who spoke to Nation.co.ke said that their pay slips had their medical allowance deducted and NHIF deducted too despite the AON medical insurance deductions having been stopped by Knut.

The Teachers Service Commission on Tuesday released November salaries for the tutors but without September salaries which teachers have been waiting for.

Further, the teachers’ unions will for the third month go without their dues as the teachers’ pay slips do not reflect the deductions from the members to the unions.

The TSC is dragging its feet in effecting the President’s deal which entailed payment of teachers’ September salaries, withdrawal of all cases filed by the parties and a new four-year collective bargaining agreement to be reached within a month.

They should withdraw all court cases and start fresh talks for an agreement with their employer which must involve the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The salary and union dues issue is likely to be the number one agenda when the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) meet the TSC officials on Wednesday.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said that he expected that before they commence the talks, the TSC should have paid the September salaries and also wired the union dues.

“That is a pre-condition before we even go on with the talks, let the September salaries be on the teachers accounts and give us our October and September dues un-tampered with, teachers have suffered enough embarrassment,” said Mr Sossion on Tuesday.

Teachers who spoke to Nation.co.ke said that their pay slips had their medical allowance deducted and NHIF deducted too despite the AON medical insurance deductions having been stopped by Knut.

The TSC has previously said it will not pay the teachers their September salaries as they did not work for 33 days, the period which they were on strike

In September only 42,973 teachers, mostly principals, their deputies and heads of department who were in schools for the duration of the strike were paid.

Over 245,000 teachers missed their September salaries.

The commission on Tuesday uploaded on its website the teachers’ pay slips and the teachers would be able to get their cash in their accounts after a day.