KUPPET issues seven-day strike notice over pay rise
Teachers have threatened to down their tools if the employer fails to raise their salaries and offer them promotions.
Teachers, under the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), issued a seven-day strike notice to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
According to KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori, the TSC has not negotiated a Collective Bargaining Agreement to replace the one that expires at the end of this month.
“Teachers expect nothing other than a salary review this year. We have gathered that TSC was advised by the Salaries Remuneration Commission (SRC), but TSC has not shared the advisory with us,” said Misori.
Despite its 2021- 25 proposal where KUPPET demand a counter offer, TSC has not initiated any negotiations and since the submission of the proposal, KUPPET and TSC officials have had two retreats.
Misori added that the union wrote a protest letter to TSC, National Treasury and SRC two weeks ago, TSC acknowledged the letter but did not give indications of starting the pay negotiations.
“These circumstances have spawned anxiety in the service. They should be urgently addressed,” read part of the letter.
In February this year, Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) had threatened industrial action against its employer if new salary talks are not held within the next two weeks.
Union Secretary General Wilson Sossion said the current salary rates, where teachers are earning a cumulative sum of Sh54 billion, was negotiated to cover 2017-2021 which will end in June this year.
Sossion wrote to the TSC saying: “We hereby issue a 14-day notice from the date of this letter and failure of action from your part shall lead to full-blown industrial action.”
In his letter dated February 10, Sossion argued that despite many pleas by the union to start negotiations on the 2021-2025 new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the teachers’ employer is yet to respond.
Knut and the Kuppet had also submitted salary proposals after claiming they were not consulted in the decision making on the new salary scales.
This brought about disagreements on salary increments as the three parties have different proposals.
