Teachers’ Salaries: The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is facing off with the Teachers Service Commission over teachers’ salaries.
Specifically, the SRC has waded into the row between teachers and their employer over the issue of two payrolls that have been in place since July last year.
Here is a report on the row as was first published by the Daily Nation:
SRC Chief Executive Officer Anne Gitau said that the continued existence of two different payrolls at the Teachers Service Commission amounts to non-compliance with the Commission’s advice.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) wrote to SRC on November 24 last year after TSC implemented a pay hike for 318,000 teachers and left out 103,000 others who were members of the union.
1). Apply for permanent replacement posts, TSC tells intern teachers
2). Salaries 120,000 KUPPET teachers may earn in new CBA with TSC
TSC also recovered money that they had been paid since July 2017 following the signing of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in October 2016. The actions saw Knut lose 80,000 members.
“The Commission notes that the matter raised in the letter could amount to non-compliance to SRC advice. Consequently, the Commission would like to urgently establish the status of the matter by continuous compliance checks in line with its matter,” reads a letter by Ms Gitau to TSC boss Nancy Macharia dated February 24.
On February 25, Ms Gitau fired another letter to TSC asking the commission to appoint an officer to help it in verifying the allegations on February 28.
Ms Gitau said the Commission will undertake a compliance check in TSC to determine the status of the implementation of various circulars and advisories issued by SRC.
She said the engagement is administrative and will involve face to face interviews with the key implementers of the SRC circulars, verification of personnel payment records and clarification on benefits.
TSC head of communication Beatrice Wababu said the Friday meeting did not take place but denied claims that the Commission has two payrolls.
“We only have one payroll,” said Ms Wababu on phone, but she did not explain why the meeting did not take place.
KNUT members missed the third phase of the Sh54billion increment after a fall-out with TSC, which insisted that the decision was based on the Labour Court ruling.
The court ordered that terms of service for teachers be based on the schemes of service and not career progression guidelines (CPG) as TSC had wanted.
“This will apply to 103,624 teachers who also include head teachers, deputy head teachers and senior teachers. Inevitably, this will also lead to Knut members losing all the benefits embedded in the CPG as an implementation tool for the CBA,” TSC said in a statement last year in reference to the ruling.
“This will apply to 103,624 teachers who also include head teachers, deputy head teachers and senior teachers. Inevitably, this will also lead to Knut members losing all the benefits embedded in the CPG as an implementation tool for the CBA,” TSC said in a statement last year in reference to the ruling. The final phase of the implementation of the CBA is set for July 1.
Knut Secretary General Wilson Sossion has insisted that the position taken by TSC, is wrong, saying the court ruling was direct. “It is wrong for TSC to interpret the ruling in a manner that would hurt teachers,” said Mr Sossion.