[WATCH] Collective agreement for academic staff signed

Academic staff collective agreement • Video by Ray Attard

Report by Tim Diacono

The collective agreement for academic staff at the University of Malta and the Junior College for the period between 2014 and 2018 was signed today. It was signed by University Rector Juanito Camilleri, academic staff union UMASA’s President Matthew Montebello, teacher’s union MUT’s President Kevin Bonello, and a representative from both unions. Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Finance Minister Edward Scicluna oversaw the signing.

Scicluna said that this agreement places salary increases for academic staff in parallel with those of other civil service workers.

The agreement also includes a stricter timeline for the correction of exam results and promotion criteria for academic staff will now also include e-learning. 

Camilleri and Bartolo said that they were against the student council’s recent request to have one of its council members on the negotiating table for the next collective agreement.

“We welcome KSU’s feedback as representatives of the student body,” Camilleri said, “however, they are neither employers nor representatives of the academic staff and therefore shouldn’t be allocated a seat in such negotiations.”

Last month, UMASA and MUT initiated industrial directives as a result of their disagreement with the financial package that was offered to them by the Government and the University. Such directives issued academics to boycott official meetings and to “withhold all non-final year Undergraduate results at the University and the Junior College”.

On the 25 July, the two unions reached an agreement with the government and lifted these directives.

MUT president criticises doctors’ union

MUT president Kevin Bonello criticised doctor’s union MAM for registering industrial action against the Health Ministry over alleged non-compliance with the collective agreement in question. MAM’s secretary general Martin Balzan said that UMASA does not adequately represent medical school lecturers and should therefore not be allowed to negotiate in their name.

MAM’s proposed directives included a one-hour strike for all doctors in government hospitals, clinics and medical centres. Emergency units, wards and operating theatres were to be excluded from this dispute.

The directives would also have refrained these doctors from issuing medical certificates for 24 hours and medical school lecturers from delivering lectures or tutorials. 

These directives have since been suspended following a successful meeting between MAM and parliamentary secretary for health, Chris Fearne.

“MAM’s course of action was disappointing and is a backwards step for Maltese trade-unionism,” Bonello said.