The Teacher Service Commission (TSC) has released a new pay structure for its teachers which takes effect from July 2021 to June 2025.
The salary and allowance change are a result of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, signed between it and the teachers’ union. According to a circular number 14/2021, TSC also captured the CBA benefits teachers will enjoy.
TSC, signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KusNET) on 13th July 2021.
Consequently, the CBAs were registered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on 27th August 2021 as required under Section 60 of the Labor Relations Act.
The CBA was applied to all teachers in service as of 1st July 2021. The implementation period of the CBA will commence from 1st July 2021 to 30th June 2025.
Promotions of Teachers was in accordance with the Career Progression Guidelines in force, however, teachers serving in ASAL and hard-to-staff areas and are holding administrative positions in an acting capacity were to be promoted progressively until they obtain grades commensurate to their respective positions.
Transfers of teachers were to be done in compliance with Pan V of the CORT together with the obtaining policies of the Commission.
However, to achieve the family values enshrined in the Constitution, the Commission also considered transfer requests for married couples to appropriate stations/locations subject to availability of vacancies, the need for a suitable replacement, existing staffing norms, and proof of marriage among other factors.
Application for different categories of leave was to be considered and approved strictly in accordance with Part X of the CORT. However, the Commission shall grant:
- Maternity Leave of One hundred and twenty (120) Calendar days with full pay with effect from the date of delivery.
- Pre-adoptive Leave of Forty-five (45) Calendar days with full pay with effect from the date of adoption
- Paternity Leave of Twenty-One (21) calendar days with full pay once a year
In compliance with Regulation 48 (1) of the CORT and with a view to enhance and maintain high-performance standards in the teaching service, the Commission implemented continuous the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Programmes and Performance Management system in the teaching service.
By Fred Azelwa.