Students to get exam results
'Directive suspended, not withdrawn'
The strike banning the publication of university and Junior College exam results was suspended yesterday, so students should expect results to be released shortly.
The directive was suspended by the Malta Union of Teachers and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (Umasa) following an appeal by the government after promising a counter proposal for a new remuneration package if the unions suspended the directive in full.
The unions had partially lifted the directive for all final-year undergraduate students as a sign of goodwill before a conciliatory meeting held on Monday.
Umasa spokesman Charles Sammut told the Times the University had presented part of their counter proposal but he stressed that the directive has been temporarily suspended and "not withdrawn".
The government revealed yesterday that, last December, as a gesture of goodwill, it reached an interim agreement through which the academic staff were granted a wage increase which amounted to 13.5 per cent of the salary of lecturers.
Prof. Sammut, however, called the statement "misleading" and "underhand" saying the rise referred to was a one-time adjustment issued after the salaries had fallen behind during the five years since the collective agreement expired in 2003.
Labour Party education spokesman Carmelo Abela said the government has been procrastinating for five years and appealed for an immediate solution in the interest of quality education.
The Times reported yesterday that students were preparing a protest despite not having the consent of the University Students' Council, KSU.
Students had shown their disapproval of the strike from day one as many feared losing employment and academic opportunities as a result of the late publication of results.
A Facebook group which had reached over 1,400 members was set up to urge the unions to "stop this nonsense" but many still sympathised with the lecturers' cause.
The KSU yesterday applauded the goodwill shown by Umasa and the MUT in lifting the directive.
The KSU said in a statement that it had reacted and monitored this issue from the very start, keeping close contact with all the parties concerned.
The strike began on June 6, which was the deadline set by the unions for the University to renew the collective agreement.