Lecturers to strike today

Professors and lecturers at the University and Junior College will not turn up for lectures today after their trade unions ordered a one-day strike to nudge the University management into rethinking the financial package for their collective agreement.

However, the Finance Ministry made it clear it is not it a position to increase the salaries, adding that the financial package requested by the unions was "not realistic" and would cost the economy €140 million over six years.

The ministry added that if the unions did not accept the package - that would cost over €55 million over the same period of time - it would withdraw its current offer. Discussions would only be reopened on the financial package now in force and, therefore, only marginal changes to that package would be possible, the government warned.

The strike directive was issued by the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (Umasa) at a rally yesterday morning as the academic staff boycotted the ceremony marking the opening of the University academic year.

The unions and the University management are at loggerheads over the financial package of the collective agreement for University and Junior College lecturers to replace the one that expired in December 2003.

Laughter echoed around the hall, where the rally was held, as MUT president John Bencini revealed the government's proposed salary increases for professors, senior lectures and assistant lecturers - that roughly constituted a five per cent raise.

The government also spoke about performance bonuses that ranged between 11 per cent and 15 per cent of the salaries. However, he cautioned, these were not guaranteed.

Mr Bencini said the unions will not accept an agreement that stretches on to 2014, as proposed by the government. (The union's proposal spans until 2012). Attempts to reach a middle ground, between the government offers and the unions' proposals were ignored, Mr Bencini said, but he did not divulge the unions' requested salaries.

Before writing off these salaries as excessive, Mr Bencini said, one had to view them within the context of wages paid by other European countries and in the context of the new collective agreement that increased duties and responsibilities.

Later on in the day, the Finance Ministry issued a statement listing the proposals of the government and the unions (reproduced in the table above). The ministry insisted that the unions' 80 per cent salary increases were not realistic and could not be reached.

Speaking at the rally, Mr Bencini and Umasa president Victor Buttigieg quoted the government's vision to turn the country into a centre of excellence by 2015, adding that excellence could not be achieved without investing in the education sector and the human resources behind it.

They explained that they were in favour of the vision expressed in the collective agreement as it would improve productivity, efficiency, accountability and profitability at the University. However, they expected the salaries to reflect this ambitious vision.

Dr Buttigieg said he hoped the strike would lead to a rethink by the government as the lecturers could not continue to work at the present salaries. He warned that harsher industrial action would otherwise be called.

As the unions announced the strike, University Rector Juanito Camilleri marked the beginning of the academic year during the ceremony in which he remained mum on the dispute. His speech focused on the need to apply research and creativity to obtain social and economic gain.

University Students' Council (KSU) president Roberta Avellino noted that, "unfortunately", lecturers were not present during the ceremony. Any decisions regarding the dispute ought to be taken for the benefit of the student body and to ensure the University continues offering a quality service.

The two unions last night expressed surprise and disappointment that after two years of intense negotiations over a comprehensive package intended to reform the University, the government was threatening to withdraw the whole package and decline to support its investment in the country's most valuable asset.