VERSION|fp-1.2.1|SUBJECT|THE LONG AWAITED WHITE SMOKE|CONTENT|After prolonged negotiations, the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and teachers' unions reach a landmark agreement on a long-awaited salary increase.

In a notable update, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) declared successful negotiations with major teacher unions, Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET).

This achievement concludes in a salary increase for educators, scheduled to commence on July 1st, 2023. But that's not all. As a testament to proactive collaboration, an additional layer of agreement, extending the 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), has been endorsed.

This strategic move aims to shield educators from emerging legal deductions and the relentless rise in the cost of living.
The previous week set the stage for a resolute stand as the three unions firmly turned down the TSC's salary hike proposal. 
Ranging between 2.4 percent to 9.5 percent, the proposal was met with skepticism for its perceived insufficiency.

The unions were steadfast in their belief that the increase failed to align with the recommendation outlined by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

On the other hand teachers have waited for the salaries to hit their bank accounts; a term normally referred to as [b]White Smoke[/b]. Most of them for the last three days have been checking their account balances because the smoke detectors went silent or faulty.

Teachers have never been affected by the delays as the TSC has an existing agreement with some banks to release payment to teachers in advance as they await government disbursement. However, the banks this time may not do the necessary due to changes on teachers payslips brought about provident fund, house levy, 7- 10% increment.
The salary delays have raised concerns among banks and Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (Sacco’s) that have issued loans to civil servants. Most financial institutions are worried about loan repayment defaults occasioned by the delays.

TSC has revealed that payments will be made on Thursday 31/08/2023 and all white smoke will be witnessed from the roof tops.

|AUTHOR|smartex|DATE|1693384424|CATEGORIES|commslock,2,3|