NYERI, Kenya, Jul 26 — Teachers in Nyeri are considering strike action over the intended slashing of the budgetary allocation for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) which now threatens the continued impelemnation of CBA-backed benefits.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) in Nyeri said it would ask its members to withdraw their serviced at the beginning of the third term laterin August over an anticipated slashing of Sh10 billion.
The union noted that the move would impact the implementation of a Collective Bargaining Agreement inked in 2021.
Patrick Karinga, a union official, said that the union had noted payslip disperities arising for TSC’s budget strugles.
“Teachers of this country will resort to industrial action next month. We have noticed that teachers have been denied their payrise which the 2021/25 CBA entitles them to,” said Karinga.
The union official termed the planned reduction of TSC’s budget over the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 as immoral.
The National Treasury is seeking to slash budgets for various ministries and departments to bridge a budget deficit fallowing the Finance Bill fallout.
The 2024/25 Financial Year Supplementary Estimates I projects TSC budget Sh347.49 billion down from the initial allocation of Sh357.77 billion.
Reacting to the revised figures, TSC told the National Assembly Departmental Committee of Education the budget cut would impede its programmes including hiring of teachers.
KNUT isniststed that it will protect the second phase of salary increaments for its members under the CBA terming failure by TSC to do so a violation of labour rights.
“The government must award teachers nothing short of increament of between 2.5 to 9 percent which is their right,” Karinga said.
The union called President William Ruto to intervene and save thousands of learners inconvinces of an industrial action.
