Reference is made to the trade dispute by MUT and MCAST’s ongoing efforts to resolve the situation for the benefit of students. The mediation meeting held Monday, 21 June, with the intervention of an independent mediator agreed upon by both parties, still did not result in a positive outcome, and further talks are expected tomorrow.
The Ministry for Education reiterates its strong position in favour of students’ rights to obtain their results and will support MCAST in taking all legal provisions as required if talks fail.
Commenting on the current situation, MCAST Principal and CEO Professor Joachim James Calleja said, “The directive is disproportionate to the claims made against the College’s management. The dispute relates to the interpretation of the salary increments of the payment structure from 2017 to 2018. To date, it is only one case that is being contested. In turn, this one case is preventing students from the right to receive their results and lecturing staff from finishing a challenging year.”
Throughout a series of conciliation meetings, MCAST proposed the following:
- The collective agreement for managers, which MCAST already signed, is to be signed by MUT;
- Continuation of dialogue on all other claims;
- MUT to immediately suspend the directive and allow students to receive their results.
So far, the Union did not suspend the directive as is expected during negotiations that promote positive industrial relations. MCAST will continue to encourage respectful, open dialogue to ensure that staff and students’ rights are safeguarded.
