The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has officially lodged a dispute with the Ministry of Labour, accusing the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) of stalling negotiations on the upcoming 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The union has issued a stern warning of a nationwide strike if talks do not commence within the next week.

Speaking in Mombasa during a joint workshop with the Canadian Teachers Federation, KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori expressed frustration over what he termed as TSC’s reluctance to engage meaningfully.

Misori said that with the current 2021–2025 CBA set to expire on June 30, TSC has yet to initiate any formal talks or submit proposals for review.

“TSC has acted in bad faith by failing to present any proposals for negotiation. I have since registered a formal dispute with the Ministry of Labour. The minister now has seven days to act, or we will resort to mass action,” Misori stated.

He warned that failure to conclude a new agreement by the June 30 deadline would leave teachers vulnerable. “We will not allow our members to go into July without a new CBA. If there is no response from TSC or the Ministry, we are ready for full-scale industrial action including demonstrations and withdrawal of labor,” he warned.

Misori also decried the TSC’s failure to hold any formal meetings with teachers to address key issues in the new CBA, stressing that the union would not back down now that the dispute is officially on record with the Ministry of Labour.

He further cautioned against proposals to eliminate hardship allowances for teachers stationed in remote areas and called for an updated classification of hardship zones to include places like Lari in Kiambu and parts of Nairobi County.

On allowances, KUPPET is demanding a 200–250% increase in commuter allowances across all job groups to reflect the current high cost of transportation.

The union also wants daily subsistence allowances revised to align with rising fuel prices.

Additional proposals include leave allowances equivalent to one month’s basic salary and a hazardous duty allowance of 20% of basic pay for science teachers exposed to risks in laboratories and other hazardous environments.

KUPPET National Chairman Omboko Milemba echoed the union's concerns, stating that the proposed 2025–2029 national budget has failed to allocate funds for the next CBA.

He warned that failure by TSC to call for talks within the next 10 days would trigger a strike in July.

“We’ve already issued notices to TSC and the Ministry of Labour. If they don’t invite us to the negotiating table within the given timeframe, a nationwide teachers’ strike is inevitable,” Milemba affirmed.

He also criticized any move to scrap examination fees, saying the funds are a constitutional component of the free and compulsory education policy.