More good news for teachers:Teachers to pay agency fee in new salary deal

Some 65,000 teachers who are not affiliated to two unions will part with monthly fees to enjoy the new salary deal that becomes effective on July 1, 2017.PHOTO: COURTESY

Teachers ended an eventful week with more good news after the Government excused them from their work stations when national examinations begin next week.

Yesterday, the Government rescinded an earlier order requiring all teachers to be in their schools, and directed that only those administering examinations will be on duty.

At the same time, teachers’ unions Knut and Kuppet emerged as big winners after the signing of the historic Collective Bargaining Agreement, as they will now get agency fees from the 65,000 teachers who are not their members.

Yesterday, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion explained that teachers who were not in the union would be expected to pay a monthly fee that is a percentage of their basic pay since they, too, will enjoy the fruits of the pay deal.

Some 65,000 teachers who are not affiliated to two unions will part with monthly fees to enjoy the new salary deal that becomes effective on July 1, 2017.

Officials of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) said yesterday that all teachers not registered with them would pay a heavy price to benefit from the new pay agreement.

In a communication just two days after they signed the Sh54 billion deal, Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion said non-union teachers would pay agency fees at a given percentage calculated on their basic salaries.

AGENCY FEES

“This is a matter of law under Section 49(1) of the Labour Relations Act, which clearly states no one should benefit from a negotiated deal that they are not party to,” said Mr Sossion.

The section reads: “A trade union that has concluded a CBA registered by the Industrial Court with an employer, may request the Minister to issue an order requiring any employer bound by the CBA to deduct an agency fee from the wages of each unionisable employee covered by the CBA who is not a member of the trade union.”

Separately, Kuppet Secretary General Akelo Misori also said non-union teachers would not enjoy the negotiated pay hike.

The two unions charge agency fees at the same rate of monthly union dues deductions.

This means that Knut members will pay two per cent of their basic salary as agency fees while Kuppet members will part with 1.5 per cent.

MONIES SHARED

Broadly, this means that the highest paid teacher under Job Droup D5 taking home Sh157,656 will remit up to Sh3,153 per month.

The lowest paid teacher under Job Group B3 earning Sh27,195 will part with up to Sh543 per month.

The monies collected will then be shared between the two unions based on the strengths of each union.

Sossion said yesterday that Knut had applied to the Ministry of Labour requesting the gazettement of persons who are not entitled to the benefits.

“We hope the gazette notice will come out soon because we already made applications for the 2013-2014 period. And for this new CBA, starting July non-union members will pay heavily,” he said.

The four-year agreement will remain in force for four years - from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2021.

TSC committed to implement the new agreement upon registration in court.