MCAST lecturers began the new academic year with a protest over the delay in agreeing to a new collective agreement, which has been pending for nearly three years.
The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) expressed a loss of faith in MCAST’s new management, particularly Principal Stephen Vella, and refused to negotiate with him, preferring to negotiate directly with the government instead.
Lecturers, dressed in black to “mourn their working conditions,” gathered at the MCAST Paola campus. MUT president Marco Bonnici criticized the principal for suggesting arbitration to resolve the issue, and for threatening legal action if the union did not comply within a deadline.
The union rejected this approach, preferring to negotiate rather than leave the decision to an arbitrator unfamiliar with MCAST.
Faculty members are currently following union directives, which include not responding to emails and withholding exam marks.
Lecturers expressed sympathy for students affected but felt compelled to take action due to poor working conditions.
Meanwhile, government sources labeled MUT’s demands, including less contact time with students and teleworking options for certain roles, as “unreasonable.” Shadow ministers Justin Schembri and Ivan Castillo were present at the protest in support.
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