University lecturers do not rule out strike

The union representing university lecturers is not ruling out a strike when the new academic year begins, should talks over the new collective agreement remain deadlocked.

The president of the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA), Victor Buttigieg told The Times that without the new collective agreement, the university would be downgraded to a "glorified school" and would not be able to achieve the targets it had set.

The clock is ticking fast as the first term is set to open on October 1.

Despite the stalemate, Dr Buttigieg believes that an agreement could well be reached before that date. But he would not rule out the possibility of a strike should the deadlock remain.

Negotiations over the new collective agreement for academic staff had started in May last year, three-and-a-half years after the previous one expired in December 2003. An agreement on the text of the new collective agreement had actually been reached between the unions and the University's negotiating team. But no progress was made on the financial aspect.

On Friday, John Bencini, the president of the Malta Union of Teachers - which along with UMASA is negotiating the new collective agreement for 800 university lecturers and the 200 lecturers at the Junior College - said he seriously doubted whether the university would start the academic year on time, because negotiations had hit the rocks.

Dr Buttigieg would not be drawn into giving details about the package being offered but said that there are "big differences" between what lecturers are asking for and what the University is offering.

The union says its requests are based on what lecturers earn in European universities such as that of Cyprus.

"The government set a target of achieving excellence in tertiary education by 2015. The University has an excellent reputation with regard to the quality of the education but we have to invest in research for this quality to be kept up. And to invest in research, we have to invest in human resources. Achieving targets carries a price," he said.

"I wish we could start the academic year as planned because we want to do our jobs. And we do not wish to involve third parties in the problems we have with the University management. Students already had their fair share of problems at the end of the last scholastic year with the exam results but everyone must understand that we cannot continue waiting," he said. At the beginning of June, academic staff were directed not to submit marks of corrected examination scripts or oral examinations and not to participate in any examination boards.

A number of students were planning a street protest over the action which was however suspended three weeks later following a government promise to submit a counterproposal on a new remuneration package if the unions lifted the directive.

The University has not replied to a request for comment.