Teachers, doctors asked to consult over salaries

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Ms Sarah Serem (left), Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) chairperson and Mr David Okuta (right), the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general. Photo/FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, September 2  2012 at  09:37

IN SUMMARY

• The Commission says that it also has a role of advising the national and county governments on the remuneration and benefits of all other public officers
• Union bodies representing teachers, university lecturers and workers and medical staff have announced that they would be going on strike over delayed salary increments

The Salaries and Remuneration Commission is asking teachers and doctors to engage in talks with the government before going on strike over salary increments. Read (Uncertainty as teachers insist on striking)

In a statement published in the media on Sunday, the commission’s chairperson Sarah Serem said that they were concerned that the workers were announcing industrial action without first seeking legal avenues to deal with the matter. Read (Doctors and nurses go on strike)

The commission says that while the Constitution gives it the mandate of determining salaries of State Officers, it also has a role of advising the national and county governments on the remuneration and benefits of all other public officers.

“We urge the parties involved to exhaust all the avenues provided for addressing the matter. The Commission also wants to reiterate its counsel and advise the respective parties in the industrial action to uphold the Constitution and follow die process provided in the legislation for Collective Bargaining,” Mrs Serem said.

Mrs Serem’s statement came just a day before teachers go on a strike over delayed salary increments.

She added that the Commission’s advice would follow Article 230 of the Constitution which requires that the “total public compensation Bill is fiscally sustainable. The Constitution also required that the public wage Bill must recognise productivity and performance and should also be fair and transparent.

“The Commission has observed with concern that the respective parties in the industrial action have so far not demonstrated compliance with the process of collective bargaining as provided in the legislation. Industrial unrest is costly to the country as it hurts our economy. It is also bruising to the people of Kenya, especially the youth and the children,” Mrs Serem said.

Union bodies representing teachers, university lecturers and workers and medical staff have announced that they would be going on strike over delayed salary increments.

Though the court has blocked the teachers’ strike planned for Monday, Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers, have refused to call off the strike expected to delay opening of schools for the third term.

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This is a scenario that would put candidates in a difficult position considering that they have a few days to prepare for their forthcoming examinations.

National union chairman Wilson Sossion on Saturday insisted that they were not ready to budge on their demands yet, as various branches around the country voiced their support for the strike.

“We have not changed our position. We are going on strike and no one can intimidate us,” Mr Sossio.

Knut has asked for a 300 per cent salary increment and immediate implementation of the 1997 Legal Notice 534 in regard to the allowances payable to teachers.

The union also demanded a responsibility allowance at 50 per cent, 40 per cent and 30 per cent for principals and head teachers, deputies, senior teachers and heads of departments.

On Friday, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union issued a 14-day strike notice saying the government had gone mum on their plight even though it had pledged to settle their grievances.

“We have tried to negotiate with them; we have really been patient. We were even supposed to have a meeting with them on Tuesday but they cancelled it because they don’t want to abide to the spirit of the letter we signed,” KMPDU Secretary General Onyino Were said.

The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) has threatened to mobilise its members to down their tools over alleged “dishonesty” by their employers after university managements failed to honour a series of meetings scheduled to review lecturers’ salaries.