TSC Calls Teacher Unions to the Table for CBA 2025-2029 Talks Amid Strike Warnings
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has extended an invitation to teacher unions for discussions regarding the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the years 2025 to 2029.
This call for dialogue comes just two days after the Kenya Union of Post Primary School Teachers (KUPPET) announced a seven-day strike notice due to stalled negotiations over the CBA.
In a circular sent to KUPPET’s Secretary General, Akelo Misori, TSC Acting CEO Eveleen Mitei expressed a desire to convene with union representatives early next week for a consultative meeting on the CBA.
“The Commission invites you to a consultative meeting on CBA 2025 – 2029 on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, at 10:00 AM in the Commission Chairman’s Boardroom,” Mitei stated in the circular.
Teachers’ unions have cautioned that public school operations could face significant disruptions following a deadlock in negotiations for a new CBA, which is crucial for securing salary increases for educators.
This warning comes as the current CBA, covering the period from 2021 to 2025, is set to expire on June 30.
To make matters worse, the 2025-2026 budget does not include any provisions for salary enhancements for teachers.
As the current CBA approaches its expiration, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), KUPPET, and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (Kusnet) have all firmly urged the TSC to commence negotiations without delay or risk facing industrial action.
“We submitted our proposals months ago, but instead of engaging with us, the TSC continues to hide behind the excuse of ‘waiting for advice from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC),’” lamented Knut Deputy Secretary Hesbon Otieno.
TSC senior officials recently appeared before the National Assembly Education Committee on May 13 to present the budget estimates for 2025-2026, only to disclose that no funds had been allocated for a new CBA.
“Significant areas lacking funding in the 2025-2026 budget for the TSC include the financial requirements for the CBA currently under negotiation,” noted Cheptumo Ayabei, TSC’s finance director.
Knut is advocating for a 60 percent adjustment in basic salaries over the four-year period, linked to inflation, along with a 30 percent increase in allowances.
KUPPET Secretary-General Akelo Misori expressed his frustration over the lack of communication. “The commission is fully constituted, and what we need now is for Acting CEO Evaleen Jesang Mitei to kickstart the talks,” he stated.
Kusnet Secretary-General James Torome added that the union has not received any updates from the TSC since July 2024, when the commission acknowledged receipt of their proposals.