Friday, 6th June 2008 - 16:55CET
University, Junior College staff told not to submit exam results
The University of Malta Academic Staff Association and the Malta Union of Teachers have declared a trade dispute with the University over the failure of the institution to make satisfactory progress on the negotiation of the new collective agreement for the academic staff, and over what they said was the institution’s failure to deliver timely counter-proposals to a remuneration package that has been proposed by the unions.
The unions have also issued a directive to academic staff at the University of Malta and the Junior College, instructing them to mark exam papers but to withhold submission of results until further notice. The directive also instructs academic staff members not to participate in any Examination Board until further notice, other than oral examinations for dissertations and theses.
"The last collective agreement between the academic staff and the University expired in 2003, and negotiations on a new agreement have been ongoing for more than a year. Negotiation meetings have now been stalled for over a month. At this point there has been no option but to declare the trade dispute," the unions said.
They said they were very careful to issue directives in a manner that ensured that there will be no negative repercussions on the students if the University responded with urgency to provide serious counter-proposals. Examinations will continue to be held as scheduled, and all scripts will continue to be marked.
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Imagine needing to resit a subject, if the strike persists for a long enough time the available study time would be greatly lessened
To Ms Elisa Borg,
I'm sorry to say this but i wonder what bubble you're living in thinking that the stipend is "silly" - have you any idea how much money one student can easily spend in a month?
- The bus travel is a minimum of 1 euro a day (to go to school and come back) ignoring the fact that if a student has a large time gap they may leave and come back more times
- Printing the necessary notes can put quite a dent in some wallets considering the sheer number of notes needed
- The books needed for a course alone can run up an incredibly high bill that the initial money given (which I believe is a fair amount) may not be enough to cover it entirely
Ignoring individual expenses of course.
I hope this problem is sorted as soon as possible
I don't know if this affects the University Students only, because the Junior College Staff was mentioned, all I know is we need to protest back as a whole entity.
We need to show them that we are not Pawns that can be used and discarded without batting an eyelids.
It seems that Teachers in Malta, Need to be Taught a lesson.
Industrial action is never fair, but if our country allows it then why should teachers and lecturers not have the right to strike too?
Who should we protest against, the uni staff or uni the employer? Lecturers are right to want a decent pay, but uni is severely under-funded. Who is to blame?
Should we protest against the politicians who made stipends a political issue, so that students still get their silly Lm36 a month while the university sinks into bankruptcy?
This said, students need to know their result in time to be able to continue their studies (e.g. in time to apply for resits or apply for a post-graduate course abroad). If the strike goes as far as to jeopardise this, I will be reluctant to regard UMASA's point of view favourably.
Of course there's nothing wrong with lecturers getting paid decently...but when they use students as a bargaining chip not only do they lose all respect but potentially also a strong base of support...and at this point of the year when most students are still undergoing exams makes it all the worse.
As it is they've simply strengthened the other side's position and set students against them, not a very clever negotiation strategy.
Why doesn't the unions see the trouble we go through? What about a result from the January session that I'm still waiting for? How's that for sheer incompetence from people who should know better?
At least they are correcting the work. and the issuance of the results will depend whole on teh university board.
In my opinion they did well but they will have give themselves a deadline ot this directive for the resits students sake.
Both Unions should be ashamed of themselves. This is selfish and disgusting behaviour !!
You are right re: the conditions. But can you kindly point out where exactly do the students and their right to know how they did in their own exams come into the equation?
Please, for the sake of the highest echelon of the educational system of our beloved nation, do rearrange these terms quickly and effectively.
I strongly urge all parties concerned to get down to business and settle this quickly. Students shouldn't be treated like chess pieces. We've worked hard, and we're entitled to know the results of our hard work.
What's more, it would be nice to see these people actually do their jobs properly before anybody gives them the right to claim whatever they may be asking for. they should be really ashamed of themselves!
It is enough we have to wait ages for results to be published, and that to the university staff deadlines have no meaning, yet if us students dare miss we are sure to suffer for it.
Seriously MUT I am sure there is a more MATURE way to get your point across.
Will the Uni students protest like the MCAST students did? I doubt it. Will it even matter if they do? I doubt it. Will Gonzi stand up for the students who are so-called "with him?" I doubt it too.
Well at least they're not fighting for parking spaces this time (one hopes).
All these trade disputes make me think that the MUT have no actual influence on such institutions, and just aim to the most vulnerable group, the students, to try to be heard. Well to go!
Oh well, I might just kick off my 4th year without knowing my 3rd year results.. not bad eh?
Now seriously, fingers crossed: let's hope a compromise is reached soon.
Although this clause is framed as a duty pertaining to university's administration, the statement clearly shows that the academic staff is responsible for issuing such results. KSU should stress the point that the academic staff should in no way derogate from their responsibility undertaken in such an agreement of which they are partners given their representation on Senate, Council and the Students' Charter Committee.
Put simply, the academic staff can't hide behind the seemingly separate personality of university when in effect they, as members of the boards administering university, subscribed to such an obligation.
UMASA should distinguish between the educational vocation of university to which they are ultimately responsible for its delivery and the employment relations existing at university. The provision of an essential service as proper education - including facilitating the publication of results - should not be denied.