The ongoing saga between the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and the Malta Union of Teachers was put on hold last Tuesday evening when the two sides agreed to disagree, but at the same time they will continue their negotiations. In the meantime, the industrial action that had been ordered by the MUT has been lifted “as a sign of goodwill and in consideration of students’ concerns”.

The two sides have been at loggerheads for quite some time. In fact, they are discussing a collective agreement that should have started in January last year but, nearly 18 months down the line, they are nowhere close.

In recent weeks, MCAST and MUT intensified their negotiations, at times also including the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations, to no avail. Lately, at a time when the scholastic year is coming to an end and students are preparing for their examinations, the MUT issued directives for teachers to just perform their basic duties.

There were conflicting reports in how far these directives went. MCAST officials said that teachers were refusing to answer students’ questions, while the MUT insisted that all the students’ needs were being seen to in spite of the industrial action.

What is sure is that the mock examinations that were to start last Monday were postponed, and students were informed via sms that they were requested to attend lessons as usual instead of sitting for the test.

In these circumstances, it is the students who suffer the most, and in fact the students protested about the situation, urging the two sides to take into consideration that they (the students) should not be the ones to suffer the consequences of the impasse, as ultimately their career and their future were at stake.

And it is with this in mind that the MUT chose to lift the directives it had issued. It was a mature way of seeing things in perspective, although it must also be said that the directives should have perhaps not been issued in the first place, or at least not now when the students are preparing for their examinations.

The MUT must have realised that if it continued to press on with its industrial action, public opinion would have turned against it considering that, as explained earlier, the directives – although certainly not aimed to disrupt students’ work – were indirectly negatively affecting the students.

Exam time is one of the most stressful periods in a student’s life, and not knowing whether these will be held was adding to the pressure. Now that the directives have been lifted, the students can breathe in relief and prepare for the examinations in peace.

Yet, in all of this, one can only wonder why it is taking so long for MCAST and the MUT to come to a conclusion on the new collective agreement. We are already almost halfway through what should have been a four-year collective agreement and, although in these cases accords are always backdated to the date in which they should have commenced, it is quite ridiculous that after a year and half the two sides are still on the negotiating table.

By the time they come to terms, the current collective agreement they are negotiating would be close to its expiry date, and a new one would have to be discussed.

While it is understandable that the MCAST seeks to protect its interests and the MUT seeks to safeguard the interests of its members, both should iron things out without further delay.

The lifting of the industrial action is only a temporary solution, and it is hoped that the two sides reach an accord as quickly as possible – in the interest of the students.