Treasury silence on teachers’ pay raise spurs fears of strike

The Treasury is yet to offer Parliament proposals on how it intends to meet the higher teacher’s pay for approval, raising the likelihood of the tutor’s strike on Tuesday.

The National Assembly Budget Committee Thursday did not give an indication when the proposal would be ready despite the threat by teachers to disrupt the opening of schools next week if the government fails to pay out Sh1.4 billion by Monday midnight.

“We have spoken severally with Treasury Cabinet secretary Henry Rotich, who has assured us they are working on a proposal, which once ready will be brought to this committee and then forwarded to the floor of the House,” said Mutava Musyimi, chairman of the committee. Mr Rotich is said to be out of the country.

Mr Musyimi said the 50 to 60 per cent pay rise awarded to the teachers by the courts was not justified, adding that it would wreck the budget and hurt economic growth.

The Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling demanding the teachers’ employer to pay teachers a 50-60 per cent pay rise until its appeal challenging the increment is heard and determined.

The Teachers Service Commission has already paid the 280,000 public tutors their August salaries and has up to end of the month to top-up the Sh1.4 billion balance.

The Treasury must also raise Sh17 billion between now and June 2016 in what has plunged the government into a major financial crisis with tax increase, borrowing and budget cuts being cited as options.

READ: Treasury given one week to pay teachers additional Sh1.4bn

Schools re-open next Tuesday and a strike could see learners lose out on syllabus coverage, which could harm their performance at national examinations expected from late October.

Private schools have not been affected because teachers in the institutions are not unionised.

“We should also ask ourselves whether it is the courts or the Salaries and Remuneration Commission which should be awarding teachers a pay increase and harmonising the salaries of civil servants and the effect such a precedent would have,” Mr Musyimi said.

The Treasury is biased towards budget cuts to accommodate the new higher pay awarded to teachers.

Treasury PS Kamau Thugge told Parliament on Tuesday that budget cuts look feasible because the government is hesitant to borrow or raise taxes.

This signals the deepening of austerity measures introduced early last year that included a freeze in wages, hiring of vehicles as opposed to buying, cut in travel budgets and government advertisements.

The measures were meant to free up funds for use in economic development.

The 280,000 teachers currently account for 38 per cent of Kenya’s Sh418 billion public wage bill. A P1 teacher in Job Group G, which is the lowest paid category, is expected to take home Sh26,707 up from Sh16,692.

The best paid teachers, a chief principal in Job Group R, will now earn Sh163,634, up from Sh109,089.

The TSC had earlier estimated that implementing the increment over a four-year period would cost the Treasury an extra Sh73 billion.