MUT orders Mcast academic staff to strike

The Malta Union of Teachers yesterday ordered academic staff at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology to strike between 10.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. on Monday and again the following Friday. MUT president John Bencini was greeted with applause on announcing the strike action, after giving a detailed explanation as to why the union "was constrained" to order the action.

"The MUT rarely resorts to industrial action and when we do, we only do it because we are really constrained," he said.

Mr Bencini said the union had sent its proposals for the collective agreement way back in May and not only were counter proposals not fowarded to the MUT, but Mcast, behind the union's back, had issued a call for applications for ICT lecturers offering an Lm11,900 package in violation of the collective agreement.

Mr Bencini said that when the union sought clarifications about this matter, it was told there would be a "top-up system" above the salary of Mcast's academic staff. He advised those who were offered such an arrangement to check with the MUT about how the so-called top-up would be paid and for how long.

Mr Bencini said the union tried to avoid industrial action but the arrogance by Mcast left it with no other option.

"The government does well to invest in Mcast, but it should bear in mind that it's the academic and other staff that run the institute, not the stonework or the new labs," he said.