Cabinet to discuss lecturers' dispute

The dispute between unions representing academics and the University administration will be raised in Cabinet on Monday when the unions will meet to discuss how to proceed.

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) wrote to the Finance Minister yesterday calling on the government to reply to a proposal it submitted three days ago in a bid to break the stalemate over the lecturers' pay dispute.

Union president John Bencini confirmed that the letter was sent jointly with the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (Umasa).

Two days after imposing an ultimatum on the trade unions representing the academic staff of the University and the Junior College, the ministry has kept mum over the new salary package proposed by the unions before the deadline expired.

"I'm not sure if this is a negative or a positive sign but it seems the government is not insisting on the ultimatum it gave us," Mr Bencini said.

On Wednesday, the ministry threatened to withdraw the salary package proposed by the government unless the unions accepted it by noon that day. The ministry justified its demand by saying it had no choice once it had not received the unions' counter proposals.

That morning, the MUT and Umasa submitted a new set of salary proposals in a bid to keep negotiations going and break the stalemate that led to a one-day strike at the University and the Junior College on Wednesday.

The unions and the University management have agreed on the vision of the collective agreement but are still at loggerheads over the financial package.

Mr Bencini is insisting that this is not merely a collective agreement but a reform that outlines a vision for the University. That is why the unions are insisting that the salaries offered by the government do not reflect the ambitious vision.

The government, on the other hand, is calling the unions' original requests "unrealistic" and, on Tuesday, said it would not budge from its offer as it cannot afford to.