Teachers decide on pay offer on Saturday

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KNUT National Chairman Wilson Sossion (left) with other KNUT officials board a lift at Treasury building after holding talks with the minister for finance, Njeru Githae on September 21, 2012. Photo/SALATON NJAU 

By BENJAMIN MUINDI bmuindi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Friday, September 21  2012 at  23:30

IN SUMMARY

• Top Knut officials meet to scrutinise deal and announce the way forward

The decision-making organ of the Kenya National Union of Teachers will meet on Saturday to study a government offer of Sh13.5 billion.

The teachers and government on Friday failed to agree on how to implement the deal after day-long talks at Parliament and the Treasury.

The government insisted the offer had to be effected in three phases while the union insisted on two.

Saturday’s Knut national executive council meeting will decide whether to continue with the strike or call it off.

If a deal is not struck, Education minister Mutula Kilonzo said he would push back the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam by a week. “But the decision will be made on Monday,” he said.

Knut chairman Wilson Sossion Friday evening said Saturday’s meeting will determine the way forward. “Only the national executive council can call off a strike,” he said.

Besides the Sh13.5 billion, teachers have also been awarded hardship and special schools allowances of 30 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.

The allowances were frozen in June 2009 but the Cabinet lifted the ban on Thursday and backdated them to July 1.

The lowest paid teachers (P2) will be upgraded to P1, which will see their pay rise from Sh13,750 to Sh19,000.

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This will also mark the end of P2 teachers as the government has been phasing them out since 2009.

On Friday, a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by Public Service minister Dalmas Otieno said the first phase of the awards will be released at the end of next month, backdated to July 1.

He told Knut and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers that arrears will be paid in 10 months.

This means that the salary of the lowest paid teacher will increases by Sh2,500 and the highest paid by Sh15,000 in October when the first phase of the deal is effected.

Currently, the lowest paid teacher earns a basic salary of Sh13,750 and the highest takes home Sh120,270.

Mr Otieno was briefing Parliament’s committee on Education. He was accompanied by Mr Kilonzo, his PS George Godia and Labour PS Beatrice Khituyi.

Finance minister Njeru Githae left early for further negotiations with another team of Knut officials.

“We agreed that any other demand should be addressed by the Teachers’ Salaries and Remuneration Committee and approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission,” Mr Otieno said.

Kuppet accepted the harmonisation of salaries with those of other civil servants.

“We’d have wished to have the salary harmonised in one instance,” secretary general Akelo Misori said.

Its national governing council will also meet today to decide on the way forward.

Additional report by Zadock Angira