New Teachers Service Commission move fuels calls for teachers’ strike

By AUGUSTINE ODUOR and LINAH BENYAWA

Kenya: The Teachers Service Commission appeared to set the stage for a nationwide strike by public school teachers by referring their pay demands to the salaries commission.

TSC secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni said he had forwarded proposals on salaries and allowances for teachers to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) that would make recommendations based on prevailing economic situations.

He added that only the SRC could address the pay demands by teachers.

The announcement by TSC Wednesday in Mombasa to over 7,000 secondary school head teachers attending a week-long conference drew furious reaction from the giant teachers’ union.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) stressed demands that the Government must provide Sh47 billion required to pay teachers’ allowances contested since 1997 or brace for a nationwide strike.

Knut national chairman Wilson Sossion vowed teachers would not take anything less than the full implementation of the disputed legal notice.

“They know what we want. We have been building this case over time and they cannot tell us that there is no cash to settle our demands,” Sossion said. “Let them harmonise allowances but we want the legal notice implemented to the letter.”

Knut Secretary General Xavier Nyamu urged teachers to await a major announcement next week on the next course of action, adding that they had concluded the Jubilee government had taken the path of previous regimes to dishonour the deal.

“The union is advising teachers to budget well for the June salary because our next action will be a grueling one,” Nyamu said in a speech read on his behalf by National Executive Council member for Nyanza, Mr Geoffrey Mogire, during a workshop in Keroka, Kisii County.

Trading accusations

Knut has accused government of buying time, citing the fact that SRC had informed unions to ensure that Collective Bargaining Agreements are implemented by June 30 failure to which they would be deemed null and void.

A strike by the rival Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is underway with learning disrupted in public secondary schools in parts of the country.

Yesterday, the government scrambled to avert imminent turmoil in the public education sector by making an offer to university lecturers who have vowed to down their tools.

Treasury pledged to provide Sh7.8 billion to cater for 2010/2013 CBAs between management of varsities and the three universities’ unions.

The government said the amount would be paid out in two equal installments of Sh3.9 billion in the current and next financial year.

“This is to inform you that the National Treasury has confirmed that the government is still committed to providing the Sh3.9 billion for the second phase as agreed in the next financial year, 2013/2014,” read a circular signed by Higher Education, Science and Technology PS Crispus Kiamba.

“You may, therefore, take necessary action, especially in informing all university staff and affected trade unions, in order to avert any unwarranted unrest in our public universities,” it added.

Yesterday, Lengoiboni termed the teacher’s strike “premature” and requested the two unions to bear with the current financial constraints.

Mr Lengoiboni said that anytime from now the SRC would give a proper advise on salaries and allowances of all teachers.

“The team has to liaise with the Treasury and look at the remuneration of equivalent jobs to decide whether the proposal is viable or not according to the availability resources,” he said.

“We ask teachers be patient and remain in school as your demands will be taken care of. I know teachers need to be well remunerated so that they can appreciate the work they do,” he added.

Lengoiboni said the TSC consultative committee on terms and conditions of service, had been holding talks on the same.

He said both teachers unions already submitted their proposals on the allowances and they have been considered and forwarded to SRC.

“The state has five representatives here and Knut and Kuppet are also represented. We have looked at those demands and applied the requirements of the guidelines as per SRC,’ he said.

Some Kuppet members have already voted with their feet to force demands for harmonisation of commuter, house and responsibility allowances.

Lengoiboni said the talks have ensured that the proposals for both salaries and allowances made to the salaries team are “affordable and comparable to other sectors.

“SRC will then advise us at a time that is not far from now. We shall then invite the unions to adopt those proposals,” he said.

“It is premature to call a strike before this process comes to an end. I am appealing to the teachers to be patient. Give the current process going on time,” he said.

He said teachers are already drawing house allowances as per their job groups depending on the region.

“This was already harmonised with that of civil servants in 2001 and on this they are on a par,” he said.

He said that there were disparities in commuter allowance and medical allowance of about Sh12 billion.

Medical allowance

“It is not a must that we always lag behind civil servants. We hope SRC will normalise the situation so that we do not have similar disparities again,” he said.

Lengoiboni said that medical allowance is now a government policy and noted that talks are underway with the National Hospital Insurance Fund.

“They have given us three options. We are trying to see what teachers can get if they remit a quarter, half or their entire medical allowance to the service provider,” he said.

He said a technical team is already working on the modalities before the best is adopted.

“Teachers will then access medical facilities of their choice depending on their capability. The deal will be on pilot basis of one year then reviewed again,” he said.