KNUT faults Treasury for slashing TSC budget by Sh10bn, threatens to take action

The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) is enraged by the government’s decision to slash Sh10.1 billion from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) budget in the current financial year.

Knut Secretary-General Collins Oyuu on Friday urged the Treasury to immediately reinstate the money to the TSC.

The budget cut for TSC was among austerity measures taken by the Treasury after the withdrawal of the contentious Finance Bill 2024 which sparked countrywide protests led by youths opposed to the increase of taxes at a time when Kenyans are facing a high cost of living.

In a statement, the teachers’ union lamented that despite efforts by the TSC to convince both the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Education and Research and the Budget and Appropriation Committee why its Sh357.8 billion budget for the period should not be cut, the Treasury has gone ahead to reduce it to Sh347.5 billion.

In his view, the Treasury's decision will in a great way affect the implementation of the second phase of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the commission and the union.

The CBA was signed in 2021, reviewed in 2023, and appropriately factored into the 2021/2025 contractual spending of the state.

"The CBA in question is a legal and binding document which was signed between TSC and Knut in 2021, and rightly deposited in the Employment and Labour Relations Court — hence, there is no way the National Treasury, which is fully aware of the existence and content of the agreement, can backtrack on the CBA by failing to fund TSC adequately (for it) to meet it contractual obligations as regards implementing 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement," Oyuu said.

He insisted that the implementation of the 2021/2025 teachers' CBA should not be in any way tied to Finance Bill 2024 or the Appropriation Bill 2024. This, he said, is because the CBA was negotiated and signed in 2021, reviewed in 2023, and factored in the 2021/2025 contractual spending of the national government.

“Thus, the National Treasury has zero option but to fund TSC adequately to meet its financial obligations," said Oyuu.

He insisted the budget cut amounts to a violation of the CBA.

"It should be noted that as is, the CBA has not been withdrawn by the two parties, hence the agreement has to be implemented to the letter. To this end, the national government should live up to its promise of awarding teachers the second phase salary increment as stipulated in the amended 2021/2025 CBA," he said.

He said teachers will not accept anything short of the 2nd phase of the 2.5 per cent to 9 per cent salary increment awarded in 2023 since it would be a breach of contract and a violation of teachers' labour rights.

Should the funds not get reinstated, the teachers’ union said it would have no alternative but to move to court.

Oyuu called on TSC to use all means within its reach to compel the National Assembly to approve the commission’s full Budget without any amendment.