MCAST students will next week protest an ongoing dispute between the teachers' union and the government over a collective agreement for lecturers and staff.

Discussions about a new agreement have been going on for over two years. Last November, the Malta Union of Teachers issued directives for MCAST lecturers but lifted them in January, claiming to have found a way forward. 

It again issued directives in May but felt secure enough to partially lift the directives in June, again claiming a solution was near.

Ahead of the new scholastic year, MCAST lecturers expressed concern with Times of Malta over the expired agreement, saying there did not seem to be any resolution in sight.

MUT is saying it has been involved in negotiations for a new collective agreement for eight grades including lecturers, student support services, student mentors, directors, deputy directors, technicians, Learning Support Educators and senior research officers for two years and nine months.

This week, MCAST lecturers kicked off the scholastic year with a protest over the delayed collective agreement.

On Thursday students announced they too will be protesting.

"Frustration continues to build among MCAST students as they prepare to stage their third protest this year, demanding a resolution to the ongoing dispute," they said in a statement.

"Both students and lecturers are increasingly affected by the stalemate, which remains unresolved despite the start of the new academic year."

The protest will take place in front of the canteen at the Paola campus on October 11 at 11.45am.

It will be led by journalism student and former KSM Vice President Emma Brownrigg Fenech, who is calling for immediate action to address the situation.

The latest directives, effective from October 4,  further strain the relationship between lecturers and students, imposing strict limits on communication, restricting extracurricular activities, and withholding academic feedback, leaving students in uncertainty regarding their progress, she noted.