Challenges facing academic staff

Professor Josef Lauri has circulated his objectives as part of UMASA's appeal to academic staff at the University to support his candidacy in the election for a representative of the academic staff on council.

Without going into UMASA's merits or those of the MUT it is worth considering Professor Lauri's presentation. Professor Lauri stated that "at the moment the University of Malta, and particularly its academic staff, face two important challenges: the setting up of a National Commission for Higher Education, and the long overdue revision of our collective agreement which has expired on December 31, 2003."

It is contended that the revision of the collective agreement has to await the outcome of the industrial tribunal where the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA) are both claiming sole recognition as the union representing academic staff at the University.

But does this mean that before discussions start on such an important matter between Council, the government and staff representatives, one has to wait for the tribunal's decision? Is it possible that MUT and UMASA do not see eye to eye to such an extent that they cannot make a joint reasonable submission for which they could negotiate with the full force of the support of all the academic staff?

Are not the interests of the University Academic Staff Committee of the MUT and of UMASA those of all academic staff and also of the University as a whole? Therefore, once this conflict between MUT and UMASA has again surfaced, it is hoped that pique will be put aside and the academic unions' leaders would put their heads together to get the best deal possible.

Academic staff should not be made to suffer any longer. Council should start discussions at the first instance with both unions and then, if there is a disagreement, perhaps conclude with the union which is awarded sole recognition.

Suppose the industrial tribunal's decision is contested in court and the case takes years on end, would that mean that the academic staff would have to wait that long to start discussions? UMASA says it has already prepared the collective agreement which it will be bargaining for. We are sure that the MUT's university staff committee has done likewise. What are we waiting for, then, to start the discussions?

In the meantime, the academic staff are suffering all sorts of humiliations, having a low salary especially when compared now with revised civil service salaries; directors in the civil service have a sponsored car, paid telephone at home and several other facilities unheard of at the University. University academics, including deans and directors of institutes, have to use their own transport to arrange supervision of student placements. The compensation they receive for their effort is that when they get back on campus to give a lecture in time they find. on finishing the lecture, that their own car has been clamped!

If one had to consider the bureaucracy and the severe untenable restrictions on how academic staff are allowed to spend their allocated work resources one would think that academics are the least trusted persons on this island. Wake up, UMASA! Wake up, MUT! Stop your bickering and start working for the benefit of all the University staff!

The students (especially the Gozitans!) certainly should have given academics a good lesson of what can be achieved when all work together, even in the difficult financial situation facing our island. The result of such vision is that no University fees were introduced and stipends were also increased in a number of areas.

The academic staff at the University deserve better treatment and they cannot wait and suffer any longer.