Teachers, employer sign contested Code of Conduct

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has finally accepted the controversial Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Code of Conduct that has introduced stringent rules to tame ‘illegal’ teacher’s strikes.

This comes after KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion and TSC Chief Executive Officer Nancy Macharia signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that contains the contentious code of conduct that details the new regulations for teachers.

According to TSC and KNUT, the primary objective of the agreement is to ensure that both parties work harmoniously in negotiating the terms and conditions of service for improvement of teaching standards and performance in the public sector.

However, according to the CBA, teachers are not guaranteed of a pay hike until 2018 when KNUT can start pay hike talks with the Commission.

TSC Communications Director Kihumba Kamotho said the CBA will streamline the teaching sector and give room  for pay rise talks after the expiry of the agreement.

The CBA was signed in Mombasa during the ongoing head teacher’s conference that will be officially opened by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016.

The Agreement shall remain in force for a period of four (4) years with effect from 1^st July 2013 to 30^th June 2017.

Thereafter, the parties shall commence negotiations for a new CBA for the 1^st July 2017 to 30^th June 2021 as from 1^st July 2016.