Knut wants school administrators left out of CBA to get pay rise

The Kenya National Union of teachers (Knut) has asked the teachers’ employer to include over 103,000 school heads, their deputies and senior teachers in this month’s pay rise as it implements phase four of the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

The 103,634 teachers were left out last year by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) during the implementation of phase three of the Sh54 billion CBA.

The commission removed the teachers from the list of beneficiaries after Knut won a court case stopping the career progression guidelines that TSC was using to increase teachers’ salaries.

The school administrators who include chief principals, senior principals, principals, deputies, headteachers, deputy headteachers and senior teachers are Knut members.

JULY PAYROLL

The TSC is expected to conclude and close the payroll for July on Monday and the headteachers want to be factored in.

Knut Secretary-General Wilson Sossion asked the TSC to pay the teachers all the pending salary increments from July last year to June 2020.

Mr Sossion also asked the teachers’ employer to include the school administrators in this month’s salary increment.

“It is against international labour practices for an employer to withhold teachers’ salaries when the finances have been budgeted for,” said Mr Sossion.

The Knut boss said that Parliament appropriated for the teachers’ funds and asked TSC to explain where it took the funds.

DON’T PUNISH TEACHERS

He said the commission cannot purport to punish teachers for mistakes they did not do.

Mr Sossion also said the teachers’ CBA is a legal document which should be respected.

Several principals who spoke to the Nation said they have missed out between Sh16,000 to Sh23,000 monthly increase that was meant for principals.

Due to the frustration, most of the teachers opted to move to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet) whose members received the full benefit of the CBA.

However, some principals said they have tried to join Kuppet tough the TSC portal but their membership has not been validated.

WAITING FOR DUES

“I have tried several times so that I may at least benefit from the salary increase but have not been helped,” said a principal from Kisii County.

Together with 27 others, in the region, the heads said they have been pushing to be paid their pending dues and be included in this month’s increment in vain

Another principal from Machakos County said he had also not received his dues.

“There should be a uniform way of handling teachers. Leaving some us out is very unfair,” said the headteacher

On June 3, the commission issued a circular to county and sub-county directors of education asking for data on school administrators who would benefit from the CBA.

NO ACCURATE DATA

TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia said the commission does not have an accurate data of teachers to benefit in phase four of the CBA.

Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori said it is sad that the commission is waking up to the reality four years into the CBA when only one phase is remaining to be effected.

According to Kuppet, more than 6,700 post-primary teachers are yet to get salary increments emanating from the CBA.

Mr Misori asked the TSC to complete their full conversion and benefits for the current phase and the upcoming last phase of the CBA’s implementation.

A further 3,800 technical and vocational education teachers were left out in phase three.

This was after they were transferred to the under the Public Service Commission in 2018.

“The teachers benefited from the first and second phase of the CBA before their transfers and upon their transfer, Kuppet was assured their perks under the CBA would not be affected,” said Mr Misori.

The unions have been pressing for the teachers’ arrears to be paid since the third phase of the CBA was implemented in 2019.