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The teachers’ union leadership yesterday defended their move to sign a new 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) without incorporating a rise in basic salary.

Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Secretary General Collins Oyuu explained that the decision was arrived at after extensive consultations with independent experts, who guided them on the move to take.

Oyuu said the experts conducted an economic survey based on Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) recommendations to Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to freeze a pay rise for at least two years.

“Based on reports by experts, Knut held a National Executive Committee meeting on Monday and ratified the decision to sign the CBA without increased basic pay.

The experts gave a verdict that the country’s economy is doing badly to withstand a pay rise,” Oyuu said.

Engaged experts

Separately, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) Secretary General Akello Misori said they engaged experts to value the proposal they had made and it was not viable, at least for the moment.

“The first time we went to meet TSC with the Kuppet’s National Steering Committee but we later decided to include all our organs on the matter, nothing could have been done beyond that,” Misori said.

It was a shocker for the over 330,000 teachers after it emerged that they will have to wait longer for a pay rise after the officials signed the CBA without factoring in a pay rise.

Under the new CBA teachers will not be entitled to a new pay for about two years, which is in line with SRC’s directive to freeze any pay rise for public servants within the said period.

On Tuesday, Misori said the basic pay was supposed to be increased by 30 – 70 per cent, depending on grades.

Misori said that it has been a tough journey to get to where they are now but assured their moments that they will work on the contents of the negotiated document.

“We are also ring-fencing all the gains that teachers have had over the years. 

One pending issue is on what happens to the basic pay and this is being addressed but we know that once TSC get the go ahead within an year or any other period, we will make it known when things improve so that we can get what we had outlined as basic pay,” said Misori.