Teachers’ new salaries, promotions; Details of the 2021-2025 TSC- KUPPET Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)

TSC latest news on 2021-2025 CBA: The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has reached a number of agreements in its engagement with the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) concerning the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

According to Kuppet, classroom teachers will ‘reap big’ from the new CBA after receiving a raw deal in the previous one. See the latest presser from Kuppet on the 2021-2026 CBA talks at the Naivasha retreat in March 2021.

KENYA UNION OF POST-PRIMARY EDUCATION TEACHERS PRESS STATEMENT AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE KUPPET-TSC RETREAT AT THE NAIVASHA SAWELA HOTEL FROM 14 TO 18 MARCH 2021

KUPPET has held a very fruitful four-day retreat with the Teachers Service Commission to resolve policy and administrative challenges of the 2016-2021 CBA and review the status of negotiations for the new one for 2021-2026. This was the second retreat between KUPPET and the TSC, the first one having taken place in October/November 2019.

During the talks, it was clear that the union and the employer had undertaken their responsibilities under the CBA process. What remains is for the Salaries and Remuneration Commission to give its Advisory to the TSC to enable the employer to table a counter offer to the union. We are seriously concerned by this delay by SRC, since the expiry of the current CBA on 30 June is fast approaching.

1. NEW CBA TO GIVE TRUE WORTH OF CLASSROOM TEACHER

KUPPET and the TSC have developed new Job Descriptions capturing the true worth of a classroom teacher. The new Job Descriptions recognise the teachers’ leadership and technical work within and outside the classroom, which had been ignored by the evaluation tool previously used by the SRC.

There are up to 30 new roles of the classroom teacher, including:
(i) Class management
(ii) Substantial financial responsibility during outdoor activities like tours and sports.

In the new CBC curriculum, a teachers’ work will even be more complex.

2. PROMOTION OF C3 TEACHERS AND TTC TUTORS

The Job Re-Evaluation has resulted in the creation of a new opening in C4 for Senior Master IV and Senior Lecturer IV for those in TTCs who do not have administrative positions. At the moment, the Commission has advertised 6,680 vacancies for these cadres as the first step towards institutionalising C4 as a promotional grade from C3.

Under the CBC, the TTC tutors will be training teachers at the Diploma level, hence the repositioning of their roles. Administrators in TTCs including Deans and Registrars will have a clear career path with substantive appointments.

3. DIPLOMA TEACHERS

The career path for Diploma Teachers has been clarified. By the commencement of the 2016 CBA on 8 November 2017, more than half of teachers who had joined service at Job Group had obtained Bed degrees and transited to the Graduate Scheme of Service.

Among those who had not, those who had served for more than three years in one Job Group had been promoted to the next Job Group, i.e., Job Group k or L, under the common cadre promotions.

However, a small number of the teachers, who had served in one Job Group for less than three years, had their promotions following the scrapping of one common cadre promotional level. Following the union’s memorandums, the Commission has advertised positions specifically to this group of teachers. We understand that the Commission received fewer applicants than the number of vacancies it declared.

4. MATERNITY LEAVE FOR INTERN TEACHERS

The Commission agreed that, except for specific provisions of their contracts, all intern teachers will work under the same conditions as provided under the Code of Regulations for Teachers. The intern teachers qualify for maternity leave of 90 calendar days with effect from the expected date of delivery, as do other teachers.

5. POLICY ON POST-GRADUATE QUALIFICATIONS

The Commission agreed to suspend the requirement of a Master’s degree for Principals or other promotions within the teaching service. This is in line with regulations by the Public Service Commission which has scrapped the requirement of a Master’s degree for promotions at Job Group P and above. Post-graduate qualifications will be considered as an added advantage.

The union, however, demanded the introduction of a Post-Graduate Allowance for teachers who possess Master’s and PhD degrees irrespective of their position in service.

6. REDEPLOYMENT OF GRADUATE TEACHERS FROM PRIMARY

In readiness for the new CBC curriculum, the Commission will promote 1,000 graduate teachers who initially had P1 qualifications to secondary schools every financial year. By June 30, it shall have redeployed 2,000 of such teachers, and the redeployment will continue until the numbers are fully addressed. The teachers must have obtained a KCSE mean grade of C+ and C+ in two teaching subjects.

7. TEACHERS’ MEDICAL SCHEME

The meeting observed the numerous problems teachers face in accessing health services under the Medical Scheme. It was agreed that an inter-parties meeting between the TSC, Minet and KUPPET would be held soon to discuss the issues and recommend solutions.