Bid to solve impasse over academics' pay package

A meeting between University academics and the government to solve the impasse over the collective agreement is expected to be held "hopefully by next week", a spokesman for the University Students' Council said yesterday.

During a rally last Tuesday, the University of Malta Academic Staff Association and the Malta Union of Teachers stepped up industrial action, calling on members to withhold all future exam papers.

Before that, a one-day strike had been called to nudge the University administration and the government into changing their position on the financial package, the main bone of contention between the two parties. On December 5, the unions instructed members to work to rule, a directive still underway.

Contacted after the meeting, KSU education coordinator Daniela Bartolo confirmed that a meeting was held yesterday between Umasa and the University rector with KSU acting as intermediaries. She said KSU representatives had been holding meetings with various stakeholders to inform them of the students' position in the dispute. These included Finance Minister Tonio Fenech, Education Minister Dolores Christina, MUT and Umasa representatives, as well as the University administration.

Ms Bartolo confirmed that a meeting between all stakeholders was in the pipeline and expressed the hope one could be arranged in the coming days.

She stressed that all stakeholders were willing to negotiate, pointing out that it was more an issue of scheduling a suitable slot for all involved.

She said stakeholders were receptive to the plight of students in the dispute and that the future meeting could shift the current impasse.