Teachers receive raise as TSC, unions agree.

Teachers receive raise as TSC, unions agree.

Teachers receive raise as TSC, unions agree.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the two largest teachers’ unions have agreed to raise instructors’ compensation by 7% to 10%.The pay increase is a result of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and follows the Salaries and Remuneration Commission’s (SRC) proposal that all State employees’ salaries be raised.

After fruitful negotiations with the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET), the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced on Monday that tutors will start receiving a pay raise on July 1st, 2023.The 2021–2025 CBA now includes an amendment that aims to protect teachers from new legal deductions and increased living expenses.

The three unions rejected TSC’s offer of a pay rise ranging from 2.4 percent to 9.5 percent last week because they deemed it insufficient and said that it fell short of the recommendation made by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).The 7 to 10% increase that SRC had suggested for all civil personnel was what the unions were vying for.

Following several conversations with the aim of breaking the deadlock that began on Friday, August 25, an agreement has been reached.”The Commission has finished promoting 14,738 teachers in August 2023 and has posted advertisements for an additional 36,275 promotion openings. According to a statement issued by TSC, the goal of these promotions is to inspire teachers to increase productivity and performance as their careers progress. In order to eliminate competition with secondary teachers for TTC vacancies, the dispatch states that teachers in Teachers Training Colleges (TTC) will be given priority in promotion openings. The teachers’ body will also present a thorough policy blueprint designed to support and encourage college tutors.

Additionally, a gradual process to synchronize house allowances with Nairobi prices will start, ensuring fair allowances for teachers throughout the nation.Notably, the home allowance for teachers who work in cluster 4 and other selected locations will increase.”It is important to note that 87% of public school teachers receive housing assistance under Cluster 4 category. These are instructors who are mostly located in rural locations. The statement stated that the new salary structure would be put into effect starting with the August payroll and with arrears going back to July 1, 2023.TSC has promised to assess special needs education teachers’ career growth opportunities with a focus on streamlining their workload, particularly for those based in specialized units.

This action intends to maximize the effective use of this group of educators.