Updated | Teachers' union orders two strikes at MCAST after unsatisfactory collective agreement talks

The teachers' union has given notice of industrial action at the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology after failure to register progress on collective agreement talks.

Using harsh language, the Malta Union of Teachers said three conciliatory meetings held after MCAST withdrew a court mandate to block previous industrial action were unsatisfactory.

"The MUT feels there is no goodwill from MCAST to treat educators at par with other post-secondary institutions... It is also evident that the whole court procedure only served to delay matters further," MUT said.

MCAST had filed a court injunction to stop the MUT from striking last month. The college later withdrew the injunction as a sign of goodwill to continue talks with the union.

The MUT wants college staff to be treated in the same way as those who teach at Junior College.

MUT said it would hold two, two-hour strikes between 10am and noon on 22 and 23 February. Furthermore, all union members at MCAST will follow a series of industrial action directives from 21 February. All staff will refrain from publishing and supplying any type of assignment result or feedback forms.

MCAST reaction

In response to the announcement, MCAST noted that it had consistently “endeavored to show goodwill to reach an agreement for the benefit of its staff and students”.

Moreover, it stressed that it had withdrawn legal action against MUT as a gesture of goodwill, and that it had presented “substantially improved” working conditions during every “conciliation meeting” it had attended.

“MCAST will continue to show goodwill to achieve a solution and is confident that the recent conciliation meetings have achieved good progress ,” it said. “MCAST believes that these meetings can reach a successful outcome if talks continue around the negotiation table.”