The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) is insisting that the second phase of the 2.5 per cent to 9 percent salary increase, as awarded in 2023, be fully implemented; anything less will be viewed as treachery and against their labor rights—a breach of contract.
KNUT has condemned the recent budget cut, terming it a subtraction of the legally binding agreement signed between the Teachers Service Commission and KNUT in 2021, which was lodged in the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
It argues that since the Collective Bargaining Agreement is a resultant of the said agreement, which states a salary increment of 2.5 to 9 percent for teachers in the pay rise awarded in July, it should not be compromised by the National Treasury’s budgetary decisions.
“It has come to our knowledge that despite TSC’s efforts to convince both the Departmental Committee on Education and Research and the Budget and Appropriation Committee why the commission’s budget of Sh357,773,737,118 should not be reduced, the National Treasury has indeed gone ahead to cut down the budget by Sh10 billion.”. According to Collins Oyuu, Secretary-General of KNUT, the government has whittled down TSC’s budget, which certainly would affect the implementation of the second phase of the teachers’ CBA.
This is a position taken by the union following a recent decision by the National Treasury to reduce TSC’s budget from Sh357.7 billion to Sh347.5 billion. According to KNUT, the reduction will hamper the implementation of the 2021/2025 CBA.
KNUT has maintained that the entire cutting of such a colossal budget nullifies the CBA and erodes agreed salary raise for tutors. The union is now appealing to the National Treasury to reinstate the full Sh10 billion so that the CBA is respected.