February 9, 2025
Teachers Strike Looms As Treasury Cuts Budget For CBA Implementation

Teachers Strike Looms As Treasury Cuts Budget For CBA Implementation

The Government and teachers are on a collision course after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) announced that they would be unable to honour a collective bargaining agreement signed between the two parties in 2023 due to budget cuts.

TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia appeared before the National Assembly’s Education Committee on Wednesday and informed MPs that their overall budget has been reduced by Ksh.10 billion, which will have an impact on the implementation of the second phase of the CBA agreement.

Macharia also informed the committee that Junior Secondary School intern teachers could only be hired in January, not this month as previously anticipated.

The Kenya Kwanza Government’s promise to hire 20,000 new teachers this month will also fall through, as Macharia has stated that recruitment will not begin until October.

Regarding the CBA, Macharia informed the committee that failing to honour their promises to the teachers would result in court cases and strikes.

“When you sign a CBA with unions, you deposit it in court to show that you are obligated to implement it. So, we shall face litigation and seem like we are acting in bad faith,” she said.

According to an agreement reached by the TSC and teachers’ unions, teachers will receive a basic salary increase of up to 9.5 percent beginning July 1, 2023.

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) all signed the deal.

“We can’t allow you to touch the issue of CBA implementation because that will affect learning across the country,” said the committee chair.

“You know that you have a CBA that will result in a strike if affected, why do you reduce the budget in an area you have committed to? Or are you shooting yourself in the foot?” he posed.

The committee headed by Julius Melly (MP Tinderet) was surprised by the Treasury’s decision to cut expenses in such key areas.

Moiben MP Phylis Bartoo questioned why the National Treasury was reorganizing a critical budgetary item affecting workers’ personal earnings at a time when the country was in turmoil.

“We don’t want to see teachers going to the streets at this critical time because of retained benefits,” she said.

Dick Maungu, a Luanda MP, accused the TSC of delaying the implementation of the CBA in the face of budget cuts rather than reorganizing the budget in other sectors.

“Why has the TSC decided to touch on the CBA when the National Treasury directed them to reduce their budget by Ksh.10 billion? This is a problem of your own making,” Maungu retorted.

“The Gen-Zs that are on the streets are children of the teachers, now you also want to set their parents against the government?” he added.

Teachers will also face barriers to accessing critical health services because the medical coverage scheme has been cut by half, resulting in a Ksh.11.8 billion shortfall.

Minet’s medical scheme was in its second year of implementation under the three-year framework contract, and services like group life, group personal accident, and WIBA were no longer available.

“We will not allow you to set up the government against teachers, please go and discuss among yourselves and ensure that you don’t touch these items; this we will not allow,” Chair Melly directed the TSC and the Treasury.

Teachers Strike Looms As Treasury Cuts Budget For CBA Implementation

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