KUPPET In Court Challenging SRC On Teacher Salary Increment, Allowances and Promotions
Omboko Milemba, the national chairperson of the KUPPET, has stated that plans are underway to sue the Salary and Remuneration Commission.
Milemba alleged that the SRC prevented Kuppet from negotiating with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
According to Kuppet, many teachers have been stagnant in their job groups without promotions, and he wants to remedy this problem.
This comes as nine public sector labor unions have threatened to remove the Salaries and Remuneration Commission from office through legal means.
The unions stated that they will collect more than one million signatures from their members to trigger the removal once the 13the Parliament holds its first session on Thursday.
In a joint statement released on Sunday, the unions’ secretaries general accused the SRC of interfearance in the negotiation of their Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and “mutilation” of properly negotiated agreements.
They mentioned a scenario in which KMPDU had negotiated and reached an agreement with Kenyatta National Hospital regarding salary concerns at the facility.
KMPDU SG Davji Atellah stated that the SRC, without any consultation or comprehension of the nature of the work performed by employees at KNH, decided to oppose and assert that no negotiation is necessary.
Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Kenya Aviation Workers Union, and Union of Kenya Civil Servants.
The Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels Educational Institutions Hospitals & Allied Workers (Kudheiha), the Kenya County Government Workers Union, the Kenya Electrical Traders and Allied Workers Union, and the Kenya Union of Commercial Food & Allied Workers are further organizations.
According to Charles Mukhwaya, general secretary of the KUSU, SRC has become an obstacle to the ongoing social dialogue between workers and employers.
Mukhwaya stated that the SRC’s decision to suspend CBA negotiations on monetary gains and the proposals to eliminate allowances were unfair to Kenyan workers because they were made without stakeholder input.
He noted that the Commission intentionally frustrates and suffocates the collective bargaining process by issuing unrealistic advisories that not only turn negotiation into a public relations exercise but also veto mutually agreed upon terms.
In addition, they have stated that the current impasse between the SRC and the MPs confirms their fears that the commission has become “rogue” because it makes unilateral decisions without stakeholder input.
The commission is currently mired in an impasse with MPS amid fresh demands for privileges by the parliamentarians.
They are concerned with SRC’s condition that they limit the engine capacity of their vehicles to 3,000cc.
The MPs also asked for the reintroduction of the plenary sitting allowances, stating they are under pressure from their people who regard them as ‘ATMs’.
Lawmakers also protested the lowering of mileage allowance from Sh187 to Sh119 per kilometer.
Some MPs said the new rate would be pricey for their huge automobiles and want the previous amount used.
In July, the SRC removed plenary allowances and imposed a Sh150,000 home allowance pushing MPs’ salaries upwards to Sh710,000.
The commission also handed MPs and MCAs huge direct benefits including mortgage, which has been amended upwards to Sh35 million
