Teachers’ unions threaten general strike

The Government’s threat takes us back to the 1980s. We are bound to extend our directives through the whole educational sector – John Bencini

Julia Farrugia
John Bencini, president of the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT), has threatened to order a general strike across the entire educational sector if Government does not accept the union’s counter-proposal.
Bencini told this newspaper that the Government’s letter, sent yesterday afternoon in reaction to today’s strike by the University and Junior College academic staff, is nothing but “a threat that took the country back to the 1980s.”
He stated that the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA) and the MUT have now presented the Government with a fresh counter-proposal in an endeavour to solve the financial row over the academics’ pay package.
If a deal is still not reached, the unions are pledging to step up the directives.
“With this arrogant attitude we have no other option but to strike in all sectors, from Kinder, to the Primary, the Secondary, MCAST, ITS and other sectors,” Bencini stated.

Under grey gloomy skies, thousands of University students yesterday gathered in Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the opening ceremony for the academic year 2008/2009.
But just round the corner greyer storm clouds were brewing for the students: absent from the traditional ceremony were around 700 academic staff, who boycotted the event in protest against failed negotiations to renew their collective agreement.
Just round the corner, the absolute majority of professors and lecturers from University and Junior College were attending a mass rally organised by the University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA) and the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT). And the news soon broke out – the two unions announced the first directive from a possible series to its members: a one-day strike on Wednesday by all the academic staff.
During the mass rally, UMASA and MUT presented a timeline of events that led to the present situation. John Bencini, MUT President firmly insisted that the unions would not accept the government’s proposed financial package.
“Only in 2007 the Nationalist Party launched the document ‘Insahhu s-Success Flimkien – Xoghol, Edukazzjoni, Ambjent – Ghalik u ghall-Familja Tieghek’. (Strenghtening Success Together – Work, Education, Environment – For You and Your Family) Where are the lecturers in all this?” Bencini asked.
Roars of laughter boomed throughout the hall at the numerous quips fired by Bencini in his speech.
“On Friday, we were threatened by the Financial Ministry that if we did not accept the deal, they will disclose our financial packages to the four winds. We are the ones who will be doing this. We’re doing this so that the public gets to know the whole truth,” the MUT President insisted.
This declaration was followed by a list of some of the basic salary figures being offered by the Government for the period 2009 to 2014.
“We fully agree with the implementation of the challenging proposals made for University. But the package needs to match up with the text,” Bencini explained.
“A professor today has a gross basic pay of €31,881. The government is only proposing an increase of €1,624.”
This declaration was welcomed with more laughs from the crowd.
“You want to laugh more? A senior lecturer today has a gross salary of €27,769. The government is proposing a yearly increase of €1,300. An assistant lecturer currently has a gross pay of €20,300 and the government is suggesting an increase of only €947! The union does not agree. The fight is on, if need be even for the next 100 years,” a stern John Bencini insisted.
The unions are also battling it out with the Government on another issue: they will refuse to sign any collective agreement that fixes salaries all the way to 2014.
Later in the afternoon, the Ministry of Finance issued a press statement declaring that the government’s position was final and that “the Government is not in a position to increase the financial offer.”
The unions had been informed: “If they will not accept these proposals, the Government will completely withdraw this offer.”
If this will be the case the Government is insisting that he will be bound to start fresh discussion on the basis of the current financial conditions. “Hence only marginal increases will be able to be considered in addition to the current package.”
The Ministry of Finance claimed that the unions’ requests are not realistic, and that over a span of six years they will cost the coffers €140 million.
The Ministry published its own financial tables, which however do not tally with the ones published by the two unions.
“The figures are deliberately inflated!” Bencini retorted in comments given exclusively to MaltaToday. “The package presented by the government includes a performance bonus of 15% and an academic supplement allowance. Performance bonuses are not always given in full, and not everyone deserves to have them.”

What the students think

Abigail Brown – PGCE:
“I do believe that the academic staff are right to ask for a better pay. However, it’s not fair that the students suffer. At the end of the day we are here to learn. The sooner that this problem is solved the better it is for the lecturers and for us students.”

Nikita Ellul – PCE:
“We’re bearing the brunt as we will be missing out on lectures. And this will mean nothing but more stress as we need to catch up with the lectures later on. I think that it is unfair for the academic staff to receive that kind of financial package.”

Mark Sultana – Masters Geography
“Comparing the academic staff’s wages with other countries, the Maltese are definitely taking home much less! I think that something needs to be done. It’s not just a wage increase, but also a financial injection in the whole system. There needs to be more investment in equipment, building and the books. Certain faculties are suffering more and I think these are to be financially addressed. For us, this strike means that our summer will be ‘longer’ but surely the more we stay like this, the more stress we will have to endure.”

Roberta Darmanin – PCE:
“I think the lecturers have a good cause. If it is just a one-day strike I think it will leave no toll on us. If the actions are stepped up then the situation will be unfair on us students. At the end of the day it’s exactly the same situation as in June this year. The students were the one to suffer when the results took longer to be published.”

Luigi Porto – PSE Statistics:
“I agree that the academic staff needs a pay rise. However, one needs to weigh the economic situation of the country. Everything needs to be taken into consideration.”

Wayne Tonna – MD
“It is my first day at University. This is all a new experience. We’re not shocked but yes, it is a very unusual situation. I fully agree with the academics issue. I believe that if you invest in the students it is an investment in the country. But there are ways and means how to tackle such a difficult issue. Ideally, a consensus would be reached.”

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