The Commissioner for Education expresses grave concern at the situation at MCAST resulting from trade union directives

The Commissioner for Education expresses grave concern at the situation at MCAST resulting from trade union directives

Published October 25, 2024

Once again, the Office of the Ombudsman, through the Commissioner for Education, feels compelled to express its grave concern at the situation obtaining at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) as a result of trade union directives to teaching staff which now risk impacting the graduation of students. Reference is made to this Office’s press release of the 18^th June 2024.

According to reports reaching this Office, a number of students who should be graduating in the coming weeks will not be able to do so because the examiners, in line with the union directives, have not passed on the required details to the administration to enable proper assessment and verification prior to graduation.

The Commissioner for Education notes that putting pressure to conclude a collective agreement is legitimate if that pressure is exercised reasonable. When, however, that pressure affects negatively and solely or in a disproportionate manner third parties – in this case students who are on the cusp of graduating – that is tantamount to abuse in the conduct of the collective bargaining process.

For students, graduation day is a once-in-a-lifetime event which an entire cohort shares together. It is therefore highly unfair that some students risk being left out of the respective graduation solely because of union directives.

The Commissioner for Education, therefore, urges the parties in the negotiations to reach a modus vivendi at least on the question of exam details required for graduation purposes, and again urgers them to make every effort to reach a global agreement on all pending issues by conducting genuine and constructive negotiations also in light of the fact that the rights of third parties are at stake.