The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) effected salary increment under phase 2 the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The increments reflected in teachers;’ salary accounts as the Commission effected August salaries’ payment.
Earlier, the Commission had been allocated Sh13 billion in the financial year starting July to implement the second phase of the 2021– 2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The Commission and teachers’ unions in August last year signed an agreement to amend the 2021-2025 CBA to include a salary increment of up to 9.5 percent spread over two years.
The original version of the CBA did not have a monetary aspect.
“Key areas funded include implementation of the 2nd phase of the collective bargaining agreement 2021-2025 at a cost of Sh13 billion,” TSC officials told the National Assembly committee on Education during a meeting to consider the financial year 2024/2025 estimates.
In addition to increase in basic pay, the deal with Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) includes a house allowance for teachers under cluster 4 that is also payable in two financial years.
Up to 87 percent of the public teaching service, majority of whom are stationed in rural areas, are earning house allowance under Cluster 4 category. The allowance abides by the standard criteria Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers teacher’s job grade and workstation. The net effect of increasing the house allowance for teachers in Cluster 4 is that it now levels up with what is payable to those in Cluster 3, with full harmonisation set for July 2024.
The higher the job grade, the higher the TSC house allowance, alongside other allowances including commuter, hardship and leave allowance.
The 2021-2025 CBA was negotiated and executed in the middle of an economic meltdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic that disrupted global supply chains causing reversal of prior monetary and fiscal policies. At the time, the TSC and the teachers’ unions agreed to suspend the monetary component of the CBA and make reviews once the economy improved.
The Commission opened discussions with the unions in August with view of reviewing the 2021-2025 CBA after the National Treasury predicted Kenya’s economic growth would expand by 5.5 percent in 2023 up from 4.8 percent last year.
The talks hit a rough patch when the trade unions refused the TSC’s offer of between 2.4 percent and 9.5 percent salary increase saying it was lower than what is recommended by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
“The unions sought for more time to interrogate the offer and consult with their members in order to make an informed decision on the matter,” noted TSC Chief Executive Nancy Macharia at the time..
The Commission and the unions have had several negotiations targeted at improving the welfare of teachers in the country, such as promotions, career progression and reducing the workload for special needs education (SNE) teachers. To enable the Commission to achieve its mandate, the government bumped up TSC’s allocation for the 2024/2025 financial year to Sh358.2 billion, from Sh340.75 billion in the current period.
