Union protests proposal to slash ECDE teachers salaries

Friday, February 3rd, 2023 08:20 | By

SRC chairperson Lyn Mengich at a past event in Nairobi. PHOTO/Courtesy

More than 10,000 Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers are staring at hefty salary cuts following an advisory by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The commission has recommended to the Council of Governors (CoG) a new grading and salary structure targeting teachers employed by county governments.

In a circular by the SRC dated January 13, 2023, the SRC is directing all county governments to implement the new grading and salary structures which proposes a pay cut of between Sh7,383 and Sh10,803.

According to the proposed structure, an ECD teacher at the certificate level will earn between Sh7,836 and Sh11,467 for job groups between F and L.

This will be a massive drop from their current salary of between Sh16,890 and Sh20,800 for the same job groups.

If executed the most affected will be job group H, consisting of assistant ECDE Teacher I, who will lose Sh9,866, with the new salary being Sh8,804, down from the current Sh18,270.

The same salary cut will also affect teachers at the diploma level where their salaries will now be between Sh11,467 and Sh19,094 down from the current Sh22,270 and Sh27,700 for job groups between H and N.

A job group J (ECDE Teacher II) will be the most affected, suffering more than 52 per cent salary slash from the current Sh23,310 to Sh12,980.

Labour laws

Through their union, Kenya County Government Workers Union (KCGWU), they have hinted at going on strike should the county public service boards go ahead to implement the SRC instructions.

Roba Duba, the Union’s General Secretary termed the new salary structure illegal and a violation of the county’s labour laws.

He argued that the new salary structure for the ECD educators will see most of the teachers earn below the minimum wage set at Sh15,120.

“At no given time was this union consulted in coming up with the grading and salary structures which is totally against the law. Further take note of the current minimum wage which stands at Sh15,120, notwithstanding the high cost of living,” said Duba.

Duba said the commission’s decision to come up with a different salary structure for only ECDE teachers, who are also county employees, was discriminatory and in contravention of employment laws.