The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) through its Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has issued a two-week strike notice to the government regarding the new salary structure.
The notice comes barely two months since the students resumed learning after almost a one-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Union Secretary General Wilson Sossion, he said that the current salary rates, where teachers are earning a cumulative sum of 54 shillings billion, was negotiated to cover 2017-2021, and which ends in June this year.
In his letter dated February 10, Sossion argues 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.
“Despite correspondence dating back to 2019 urging TSC to formally commence and conclude negotiations with us, including the last correspondence, has been copied to you, (there has been) zero response,” the letter read in parts
According to him, KNUT is aware that TSC has been having consultative meetings with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) concerning the new CBA, something that Sossion has faulted because the union has not been consulted.
“We are fully aware that TSC has forwarded salary proposals to SRC without formally commencing negotiations with Knut, and the said proposals are currently being analyzed by SRC,” Sossion says.
During the consultation, the KNUT boss says the TSC had told SRC to raise the basic salaries between 16 percent to 30 percent. However, he argues that the 16 percent raise proposal by TCS should be meant for administrative teachers only.
Knut and the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) had also submitted salary proposals after claiming they were not consulted in the decision making on the new salary scales.
Union Secretary General Wilson Sossion proposes that teachers not in administrative positions should get a flat rate increment of 30 percent.
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