Updated 3.30pm
Talks on a new collective agreement for lecturers at MCAST will only resume when the Malta Union of Teachers calls off industrial action that impacts students, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.
It also revealed that the stumbling block in the months-long talks is no longer pay, since a 'generous' pay offer it had made had not been countered by the union. Rather, the sticking point involves the presence of lecturers and staff at the institute.
The MUT, however denied the government's claims and said it would stick to its directives.
The ministry insisted that industrial action should never impact students.
"Students should never be the victims of industrial action. In the education sector, consideration for student life should always be at the core of talks, also without detriment to workers' rights," the ministry said.
A few weeks ago, the ministry said, it tabled a detailed, generous, pay proposal which had not been countered in any way. Therefore, the differences that remained were not about financial matters but requested changes related to the presence of lecturers and other staff on campus.
While repeated appeals for the lifting of industrial action that impacted students had been rebuffed so far, the ministry said it remained available for further talks once they were lifted.
MUT: Government to blame for agreement delay
The Malta Unions of Teachers in reaction acknowledged progress in the talks but said the administration's stance changed unexpectedly on Monday when lead negotiator Joyce Cassar listed the union's pending requests and rejected them all. She also said a meeting scheduled for Wednesday (today) would only be held if the MUT lifted directives.
"The MUT made its position clear that whilst it is not ready to withdraw the requests made, it is not ready to lift directives."
The union said that the sticking point is not the presence of lecturers and other staff on the MCAST premises but the progression structure and criteria which affect all grades in this agreement.The government is refusing to discuss it.
Furthermore, the financial proposal presented months ago by the government was not accepted by the MUT and this was clearly communicated to the government. No counter-proposal has been made yet owing to other financial requests.
The MUT asked why the government decided to scrap ongoing negotiations overnight and instead declare that it was rejecting all the remaining union proposals.
"Since the government is not willing to negotiate, it should not say repeatedly that it promotes social dialogue. The government is responsible for the failure of negotiations and the delay in concluding the agreement, three years after it expired," the MUT said.
Long-running dispute
In October, lecturers and the union representing them – MUT – kicked off the scholastic year with a protest over the failure of college management to agree to a new collective agreement after a delay of almost three years.
They also announced new directives during the protest.
Among other directives, the union told lecturers to avoid communication with MCAST administration and students outside designated contact hours, to boycott events and not show up for extracurricular activities and school ceremonies. They were also instructed to refrain from disclosing assessment marks to students or management, not to show up for staff meetings, to limit work to essential tasks like teaching, and to halt research activities, including providing support for students who are doing their theses.
Earlier this week Times of Malta quoted the prime minister say that a collective agreement for MCAST lecturers should be “generous but not exorbitant”.
On Wednesday MCAST students fed up with the ongoing dispute occupied a roundabout in Mosta (where one of the MCAST campuses is located) demanding better pay for their teachers.
PN condemns government's attitude
In a statement, the PN condemned the government's attitude of "abandoning negotiations" as "entirely unacceptable".
"For the government, the process of social dialogue and negotiation is only a matter of convenience, and it sees fit to threaten the union negotiating on behalf of its members in line with what the law allows.
"It is evident and absolutely clear the delay is solely the government’s fault, and today the situation has escalated into a national crisis because MCAST is not a priority... For the Labour government, MCAST is a second-class institution," the party said.
PN insisted it was an "outright falsehood" for the government to claim it was committed to negotiating when the OPM's and Education Ministry's permanent secretaries ceased negotiations and "seemingly lost hope" of ever reaching an agreement.
"The PN now questions whether the government’s negotiators are mere puppets of the prime minister, who declared over the weekend that there are no funds available for MCAST."
PL: 'PN is populist and partisan'
Reacting, the PL said partisan politics had completely taken overthe PN.
The PN's reaction to the MCAST saga were "shamefully partisan and populist", the party added.
"A Labour government has successfully concluded many a sectorial agreement recently, and last week, a public sector collective agreement, the largest by far, was successfully concluded to the benefit of thousands of workers and their families.
"In the educational sector, educators benefitted from a collective agreement, which resulted in higher salaries and better work conditions."
This, the PL added, sharply contrasted with what happened under PN administrations when teachers' salaries remained unchanged after the expiration of collective agreements.
"Such is the PN's track record in this sector. They have no credibility. The Labour Party looks forward to a long and lasting solution at MCAST, which would be beneficial to educators and students alike."