The situation surrounding the MCAST collective agreement negotiations seems to be getting worse, while a new trade dispute has now also been registered at ITS.

The government and the Malta Union of Teachers cannot seem to finalise a collective agreement for MCAST workers, despite the current agreement having expired around three years ago.

The situation between the government and the union here also shows that the two sides are not on good terms. Last week, the government held a press briefing highlighting what has, and what hasn’t been agreed upon.

Speaking to the media, Joyce Cassar, permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister said the government was prepared to accept many of the proposals made by the union, but there are certain demands that it cannot agree with since they "exceeded their parameters", leading to an unsustainable system and a stark injustice with regards to other public officials. The government said it cannot accept the idea that MCAST lecturers work from home twice a week, nor can it accept that lecturers are paid €400 to prepare an examination paper for a re-sit for students who fail an exam. The government also said cannot accept the principle that lecturers, whose job is to be with students, work twice a week from home.

Cassar told the media that while agreement was found on the financial package, the issues revolve around principles.

But the MUT issued a statement later in the day. "It was the Government which led to the degradation of educational quality at MCAST. Over the past few years the number of hours per unit taught at MCAST was reduced drastically, in some units by half. This meant that a syllabus which was written to be conducted through six lessons per week is now being conducted through 3 lessons - a reduction of half the hours assigned to teaching.”

“How can the government expect lecturing grades at MCAST to deliver a syllabus written for six lessons weekly to be delivered in three lessons per week? How can the Government expect students to grasp the principles and to practice them during their studies when the Government reduced the number of teaching hours? Is this the quality of education that is being provided by the Government?” The MUT also said it rejects all the statements by the Permanent Secretary at OPM.  "The Government turned a flexi-time proposal which was not for lecturing grades and for students and twisted it. It did the same with the claim that MUT is requesting more leave than working hours for its grades. These are false. Similarly the MUT never requested remuneration for failing students. This is inconceivable,” the union said.

This exchange between the two seemingly worsened an already tense situation

As both sides continue to argue, students continue to suffer. It is unacceptable that negotiations have dragged on this long, the government must conclude. It is unfair that the workers have had to stick to a collective agreement that expired around three years ago. It is unclear, due to denials and allegations, what the sticking points in the negotiations truly are. But the government and the MUT need to find agreement, one that does right by MCAST lecturers.

And now, as said, an industrial dispute was registered at ITS. The government cannot risk what is happening at MCAST to also happen at ITS, and should do all it can to reach an agreement with the union.