The counter offer given by TSC lacked any monetary benefits to the teacher. However, it has some features which according to Macharia, will improve the welfare of teachers.

Some of the proposals in the TSC counter offer, as reported by by the unions, include;

1.Expansion of maternity leave from a period of 90 days to 120 days

Currently, female teachers are entitled to a maternity leave of 90 working days. TSC now plans to extend this leave by 30 more days. The big question that teachers ask TSC is, what will the new mothers eat with their babies? Several teachers have faulted TSC for this proposal, terming it high level mockery.

2.Fast-tracking of promotions in arid and semi-arid areas

Through the counter offer, TSC plans to fast track promotions in arid and semi-arid areas. Majority of teachers do not work in those arid and semi-arid areas and the few who work there are already principles, deputy principles and senior masters. So, who exactly does TSC want to promote?

“The teachers will be retained in their current stations until attainment of the substantive grade,” reads the document.

The Asal areas are listed to be in parts of Baringo, Garrisa, Homabay, Isiolo, Kajiado, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Kitui, Narok, Samburu, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir and West Pokot counties.­­

3.Pre-adoptive leave for parents exploring adoption to bond with their children

The counter offer by TSC has captured parents with adopted or planning to adopt children. According to teachers, very few have adopted children and even if they are given a cashless to bond with the children, would they even have the confidence to go?

4. Expansion of paternity leave from 14-21 days

TSC has forgoten that male teachers need money to keep their baby mothers at home after delivery. How many male teachers take paternity leave and why must they do a handwritten letter unlike female colleagues who fill maternity leave forms?

5. transfer for couples who are both teachers

TSC proposes to consider requests for transfer for couples who are both teachers subject to availability of vacancies among other requirements.

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Unions stand

The unions have maintained that CBA minus salary review is a joke that cannot and will not be taken by teachers.

“After the current CBA expires tomorrow, the Kuppet National Governing Council will meet within seven days, to deliberate on incipient vacuum and give directions to our members,” the kuppet  statement said.

Newly elected Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu also termed the proposal laughable.

Early this month, SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich issued a statement indicating that they were still on with the CBA negotiation process and that the commission was looking into submissions made by the TSC regarding teachers’ proposals on salary review.

Union officials, however, said there is still uncertainty ahead after the national Treasury failed to factor in teachers’ salary increment in the Budget.

It is now confirmed that there will be No pay rise for teachers as the much-hyped negotiations between TSC and unions at safari park hotel failed.

Knut Secretary General Collins Oyuu termed the proposal offered by TSC laughable.Treasury allocated over Sh588 billion to the Ministry of Education in the 2021/2022 financial year budget, no monies were allocated to finance the 2021-2025 CBA.

With the 2017-2021 CBA set to expire today, June 30, the probability of teachers signing a new CBA with the unions is zero.

The Teachers Service Commission pegged the decision to disallow any salary increment for teachers in the public sector to an advisory opinion from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission.

“SRC gave an advisory that there would be no review of the basic salary structures, allowances and benefits paid to the public sector in the financial year 2021 /2022 — 2022/2023,” TSC CEO Nancy Macharia said.

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In line with the SRC directive, TSC has sought to negotiate on other components of the CBA while maintaining the current salary rates.

The proposal was fronted to the unions as discussions for the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement began.

However, Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers rejected the TSC offer in the negotiations, noting it has not included any monetary gains in the CBA.

“Kuppet is reluctant to entertain a CBA with no monetary benefits,” Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori said in a statement.

Misori said that the union is pushing for a pay rise that would cushion teachers against inflation and the burdens of increased workload under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

He confirmed dissatisfaction with the proposed TSC counter offer to the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“Given the wide disparities in remuneration across the various cadres in the expiring 2017-2021 CBA, coupled with the sharp inflation in the country, this is the time to review teachers’ salaries,” Reads a statement a statement by KUPPET.

KUPPET has termed the content of the proposals by TSC as ‘negligible improvement’ in the working condition of teachers.

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The teachers service commission, TSC wrote to the salaries and remuneration commission, SRC, seeking further directions concerning the teachers 2021-2025 CBA, to replace the current that is ending this month. In response, SRC pledged to give directions in two weeks.

Currently, TSC is in dilemma concerning the action to take to enable the negotiations for the 2021-2025 CBA kick off as they must receive directions from the SRC

TSC had written to SRC on April 13^th, asking for directions. It is on this date that TSC submitted the unions’ proposals to the SRC.

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‘We will give directions in the next two weeks,” confirmed Mengich.

It is after the directions from SRC that TSC will organize a meeting with the unions to discuss their proposals and to present a counter proposal.

“The directives from the SRC are the ones to guide the TSC. Without the advisory, the teachers’ employer is actually helpless,” a source from the TSC revealed.

According to the information received by TSC from SRC, a communication will be sent soon.

“Please note that the commission is looking into the submission, the outcome will be communicated in due course,” reads part of the letter written by SRC CEO Anne Gitau to TSC.

Kenya union of post primary teachers, KUPPET, Kenya national union of teachers (KNUT) and Kenya union of special needs teachers (KUSNET) are pushing for the negotiations to start.

KUPPET has already issued a seven-day notice to the teachers’ service commission to give them a counter offer or they call their members to strike.