The teachers and civil servants have been agitating for higher salaries in the country for along time.
This has at times led to strikes especially the teachers who have had strong unions before.
Currently,Covid-19 pandemic has made life very difficult for majority of Kenyans.
The prices of essential commodities have risen with no clear hope of being reduced soon.
Teachers and civil servants recently suffered a salary freeze from SRC.
The Commission postponed all the CBAs for these groups of Government employees citing the rippling effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
They will now have to wait longer for another round of negotiations for the new pay.
As the teachers and civil servants wait for the elapse of the periods,it is a new dawn for them in CBA negotiations.
The Salaries and Remuneration Commission has suffered after getting its circulars on CBAs revoked by the parliament.
MPs ruled the circulars are unconstitutional as they violate workers’s rights to engage in collective bargaining with the employers in line with provisions of Article 41(5) of the Constitution.
Below is the Proposed payrise for teachers by SRC
The Article stipulates that “every trade union, employers’ organisation and employer has the right to engage in collective bargaining.”
For now,the four year cycle for a CBA becomes obsolete as the salaries will now be negotiated anytime without waiting for the elapse for the four year period.
For instance,the teachers who would have their recently signed CBA run up to 2025 can now go back to the table and have their salaries negotiated and paid before 2025.
Under the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) deal which started in July 1st 2021, TSC will transfer couples to schools near each other (if both are teachers) subject to the availability of vacancies.
Teachers will also have 45 days for those who want to adopt a children while teachers in Arid and Semi Aril Lands (ASAL) will have their allowances reviewed upward.
In the CBA which runs from July 2021 to July 2025 teachers were awarded 120 and 21 days maternity leave for female and male teachers respectively.
However TSC had said the signed non-monetary CBA is not final and that it will recall teachers unions to review on the benefits for teachers.
Already there are rumours of behind deals that could see teachers unions sign a deal leading to salary changes for teachers
