Be patient as we work on your September pay, TSC tells tutors

The teachers’ employer is scrambling to pay the country’s 250,000 teachers their September dues and has now asked teachers to be patient as they wait the processing of their money.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) said Friday that they had already asked the National Treasury to issue Sh10.8 billion required to pay teachers whose salaries were withheld because they were on strike.

“Following the advisory opinion by the Attorney General, the Commission embarked on the preparation of the September payroll for the more than 250,000 teachers who did not receive their September salary,” said Nancy Macharia, the TSC chief executive.

In his letter dated November 30, Attorney General Githu Muigai said the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that no teacher would be victimised and that TSC does not have legal obstacles to release teachers’ salaries.

The TSC denied that it had filed an appeal to make sure that the teachers did not get their pay because they were on strike. “The Commission did not file any case or appeal after the Attorney General’s Advisory Opinion. The Commission has neither disregarded the intervention of the President nor violated the agreement arrived at by the parties. In fact, TSC and the unions have started exploring the option of withdrawing all court cases on industrial issues in favour of negotiations,” said Macharia in a statement to newsrooms last evening.

“Ordinarily, the TSC payroll takes time to prepare because of the large number of employees and third party commitments involved. This process is ongoing and once completed, teachers will be informed on when to expect the September pay in their bank accounts.”

TSC has already met the Kenya National Union of Teachers and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers to agree on the modalities of making the payment.

“TSC is committed to ensuring that harmony and stability is restored in the teaching sector,” Macharia said.