Despite the fact that during the last two days MCAST proposed a further improved salary package and working conditions, MUT has refused the offers and is insisting on proceeding down a dead end of strikes and industrial actions, MCAST said in a statement.

While MCAST said it is constantly showing a positive attitude to find a fair and just solution, MUT insists on changing the goal-posts every time a step towards a solution is made.  In fact, over the last week, every new additional proposal made by MCAST during conciliation meetings has been rejected by MUT. These included the following:

·         MCAST has offered to immediately match completely the exact same conditions enjoyed by Junior College lecturers, including all allowances, for MCAST lecturers who have the same level of qualifications. This has been rejected by MUT.

·         MCAST has also offered another proposal which would offer all MCAST lecturers, irrespective of qualification, the same salary as Junior College lecturers, with many lecturers achieving and surpassing this in 2018 and 2019 while the others achieving this over the 5 year span of the collective agreement. This proposal has also been rejected by MUT.

·         MUT has also rejected proposals to increase allowances to lecturers from 450 Euro a year to 2000 Euro a year, reduce teaching loads from 19 hours a week to 17 hours a week for Senior Lecturers and 18 for Lecturers and to increase payment for additional duties to 26 euro an hour.  This has also been rejected by MUT.

MCAST said it is offering the best collective agreement ever given to academic staff in its 16 year history and once again appeals to MUT to stop industrial actions, seriously consider its responsibility as a serious trade union of professionals and return to the negotiation table to conclude this agreement for the benefit of MCAST academic staff.