The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has welcomed the new salary increment for civil servants saying it is a boost to their welfare.

Terming it a ‘smart move’ by the Kenya Kwanza administration, the union however vowed to continue pushing for more funding from the government.

Speaking to the Star, Union’s assistant national treasurer Ronald Tonui said they have already presented a memorandum to the president on issues facing its members as they sought to have the government increase the budgetary allocation to cater for the needs.

“We thank the president for the 7-10 per cent salary increase given to public servants including teachers,” Tonui said.

“We hope to engage in future with the president and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for a higher salary increase and adequate funding for promotion.”

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The proposals, he said, include a request for a 48 per cent salary increase to cover inflation and Sh3 billion for promotions.

They also want an adjustment of the house allowance, municipality allowance in all municipalities, and allowances for risk and science teachers among others.

“We didn’t get all the requests but we are grateful that the president considered a salary increase and Sh1 billion for promotion,” the former MP said.

President William Ruto rejected the planned pay hike for senior state officers asking the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to hold it.

“Salaries for state officers like myself, my deputy, ministers, principal secretaries, and those other top officials, let us wait for a while please, our salaries will remain unchanged,” Ruto said.

He instead announced that beginning in July all public servants will get a pay rise.

Union’s secretary General Akelo Misori recently said they will be meeting this month to make a final demand for a teachers’ salary increment that was due in 2021 but has not been offered to date.

According to Misori, SRC has for the last two years blocked the review of teachers’ salaries under the Third Public Sector Remuneration and Benefits Review Cycle alleging the government cannot afford a pay rise for its workers.

Workers in the public sector, teachers and civil servants will have their pay reviewed regularly after the national assembly quashed a directive that had restricted all pay negotiations to be done after four years.

Parliament revoked three circulars from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), which had limited collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to a four-year cycle for all workers in the public service.

MPs ruled the circulars unconstitutional since they violate workers’ rights to engage in collective bargaining with the employers as provided by Article 41(5) of the Constitution.

The Article stipulates that “every trade union, employers’ organization and employer has the right to engage in collective bargaining.”

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“Considering that the Guidelines limit the right to collective bargaining, they must be enacted in strict adherence to constitutional dictates set out in Article 24 of the Constitution,” the MPs said in a report.

This means workers, through unions will be free to negotiate for new pay increases which the commission had frozen. In June 2021, the SRC froze salary increments for all civil servants for two years starting July, darkening their prospects of better fortunes amid tough economic times occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The suspension affected basic salary, allowances and benefits of all government workers forcing unions to threaten to stage a boycott from work.

The Treasury has been struggling to raise revenues to run the bloated public wage bill that consumes more than half of taxes, impeding spending on development projects.

Teachers’ unions and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) have however striked a deal leading to signing of non-monetary CBA.

“We are happy to announce that all parties have reached a deal. We have signed a new CBA 2021-2025 but there is room for strengthening it in the future,” said TSC Chief executive Nancy