Update 2: Unions suspend all university industrial action
(Adds lifting of industrial action this afternoon and unions' reaction to government statement)
Trade unions which represent the academic staff at the University said this afternoon that they had suspended all industrial action.
They lifted their action hours after the government in a statement said it was ready to present its counter-proposals on a new collective agreement as soon as all directives were lifted.
The unions had directed their members not to submit exam results. They partially lifted their action yesterday by allowing the filing of exam results of final year students.
"As agreed in detail shortly after the conciliation meeting held yesterday 24th June, the Malta Union of Teachers and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association are suspending all directives at the University and at the Junior College effective this afternoon. Both unions are now awaiting counter-proposals from the University in the next hour as also agreed yesterday," the unions said.
In its statement the government said it was well known that it did not hold talks with unions while industrial action was still in force.
It also revealed that last December, as a gesture of good will, it had reached an interim agreement through which the academic staff had been granted a wage increase which amounted to 13.5 percent of the salary of lecturers.
That had been done so that the collective agreement could continue to be negotiated without pressure.
The unions in a reaction tot he government statement said they were astonished that the government, at such a delicate stage in the ongoing negotiations, decided to issue "a misleading statement that appears designed to put the nation's academic body into disrepute.
"In 2001, the government itself had pegged the academic staff salaries to certain scales in the civil service. As the government well knows, the interim increase referred to in their press release was effectively a one-time adjustment meant to bring academic salaries back in line with these same scales, after they had fallen behind during these previous five years, and also considering that the collective agreement had expired in 2003," the unions said.
They said statements such as that by the government were fruitless and led nowhere.
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In Discussion
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Dr Frank Portelli
Jun 26th 2008, 19:22
Well Done - Teachers
A great relief for exam stricken students
as Churchill put it better Jaw Jaw than War War
Dr Frank Portelli MD FRCS(Ed)
Joseph Buhagiar
Jun 25th 2008, 19:37
Mario Vasallo is right. The rise in wages after the interim was of only 5%. I cannot understand where the government is getting the value of 13.5%.
Mario Vassallo
Jun 25th 2008, 18:18
It is not correct that the academics' gross income was increased by as much as the government is saying.
What took place was that a number of allowances were grouped together, a small amount was added and this was presented as a good increase. Even a grade one student could calculate that the REAL increase was about half of what it is being suggested!
So why keeping quoting figures which are not real? The increases simply brought the highest academic grades in line with what not-so-well-qualified non-academics recently employed by the University itself were getting!
J.Borg
Jun 25th 2008, 17:50
Many comments have been made that students are not being fairly treated by this Industrial Action. That may be true and for that reason, the Unions have for a couple of years been holding back from taking action. At the same time, student numbers continue to increase. However, Government seems to only move on issues if (a) there's an election coming up and votes are needed or (b) unions taking such drastic actions. And academics are not the exception. In many other sectors, third parties normally also get caught up in actions eg patients in hospitals when medical staff take industrial actions, passengers when airline staff take actions etc. What is important is that University students, as mature citizens need to realize that they need motivated academic staff members. I can say that academic staff members are increasingly becoming de-motivated with some already leaving their full-time post for jobs in the private sector or for jobs abroad. Others will of course realize the need to stop doing corrections at weekends, not taking breaks due to everlasting University Board meetings etc. Will that be an *Outstanding Past..Bright Future?*
Brian Spleenovich
Jun 25th 2008, 17:34
Could the reason of this withdrawal be because of the threat of a protest?
Stephen Abela
Jun 25th 2008, 15:37
The government's statement is correct the interim agreement was proposed by UMASA to give it some slack for the impending Election. The fact is that none of the members were expecting that once the elections are over the process will be stalled forever!
Matthew Saliba
Jun 25th 2008, 14:57
I really do not think that this industrial action is fair on the students, and not just the final year students, but all of us. We have been studying for months and preparing for these exams and assignments, and when we are supposed to be receiving results we are instead faced with this situation. All students need to know what the results are and not just the final year students, particularly since there may be situations of re-sits in which case we would need to be well-prepared for the sessions and not merely informed a couple of days before. I honestly cannot see how this action could not have been taken, which by all means MUT and UMASA have every right to take, without majorly affecting the students.
I think it's high time all parties decide to solve the matter and stop acting like spoilt children. Oh, and a word from KSU about what is happening would be helpful, after all they were presumtuous enough to be "elected" for the post, so I think they should do their job and not look pretty with the hope that someday that will be involved in the real political situation of this country!
H Formosa
Jun 25th 2008, 13:58
I refer to the comments Mr C Sammut. The civil service grades received only 5% between 2005 and 2007 and hence it is far less than the 13.5% given to the UOM lecturers so probably he is giving the incorrect information rather the government!
C Gatt
Jun 25th 2008, 13:57
@c sammut
Government doesn't need to denigrate the academic body of Malta. They're already doing a good enough job themselves in that department! :)
C Sammut
Jun 25th 2008, 13:05
What the government failed to mention is that the stated increase was an exercise which effectively brought some of the academic staff in line with civil service grades, which had improved since 2004. The UoM academic staff had been left behind! This is startegic and deliberate misinformation of the first order, attempting to denigrate the academic body. This shameful attitude should be scorned by all.