Recognise academics' contribution and worth

Last month, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (Umasa) held a rally for all the academic staff at the University and the Junior College on the ongoing dispute over the new collective agreement for the academic staff. The well-attended meeting was addressed by MUT president John Bencini and Umasa president Victor Buttigieg.

Both union presidents expressed grave concern over the current impasse in the negotiations.

Dr Buttigieg reported that the government was demanding that Umasa change its statute to enable the negotiating team to conclude an agreement without requiring ratification by its members.

He rightly insisted that Umasa could never accede to this demand which was unreasonable and undemocratic.

On this point, Mr Bencini said that even though the MUT statute did not have this requirement, his union fully supported Umasa's position, and that for this particular agreement he would make an exception and call on all MUT members at the University and at the Junior College to vote on the eventual agreement before it could be signed.

Both Mr Bencini and Dr Buttigieg commented that the unions were being treated in a highly abrasive manner. Dr Buttigieg added that the government had even called the Umasa negotiators inexperienced.

These allegations, if true, are a serious cause for concern. The University is a proud institution of long standing, one that has excellently served the needs of the island and the international community for over 400 years.

The spirit of any university lies in its academic body. In a sense, the academics are not just the University's employees but they are, in essence, the University itself.

Over the years, a major driving force behind Malta's success has proved to be its highly educated and versatile workforce, much of which is produced by our University, our academics. It is truly a shame that this enormous contribution is not being recognised. The country can ill afford to mistreat and alienate the goose that lays so many of its golden eggs.

Towards the end of their rally, the unions announced a number of directives to the University and Junior College academic staff. It is a pity that the MUT and Umasa have been pushed to a point where they feel that this is the only avenue that remains open to them.

Both unions have to date always taken a very responsible approach to industrial action during the negotiations. One can only conclude that this time there must really have been no other option available.

In any industrial action, there are people who are adversely affected. In this case, it is the 10,000 plus students at the two institutions, who understandably feel that they are being made to suffer for something that is not their fault. This is where, however, the students have to weigh up the situation very carefully.

Intelligent students should realise that a well-funded institution, and an academic body that feels it is getting the respect and work conditions that it is entitled to, will lead to a more dedicated, high-calibre academic staff being retained. It is also very likely to lead to the recruitment of new, trained academics of the same high quality.

This will, in turn, lead to continuous improvement in the quality of all the University's education programmes. It will lead to more funding being acquired for research, with the resulting postgraduate opportunities that open up for university graduates. It will lead to a highly positive cycle where every stakeholder, as well as the nation, stands to gain.

Students would therefore do well to consider whether the short-term uncertainty they experience at present perhaps be worth the benefits they will gain in the medium- and long-term.

Often, good things in life are only achieved by enduring a certain amount of pain, and recognising that long-term gains are almost always worth the short-term hurdles.

Hopefully, the government too will recognise the immense worth and contribution of the University's academics, and the potential high returns of any investment in their working conditions.

Hopefully, the government will understand that the unions' directives are far from frivolous.

Hopefully, the government will listen carefully to all the concerns the unions are expressing, and will move to address them fully. And hopfully, the government will finally give Malta's excellent academics their dues, so that the University can focus on the bright future that lies ahead of it.