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FUTA union action to continue until demands are met
Members of the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) say they will continue with their trade union action until their four main demands are met.
The Cabinet of Ministers recently endorsed a memorandum presented by the Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayaka and the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa that recommended that the “Academia of the Universities be treated as a special category, so that those with an excellent academic career can be retained in the Universities and also intelligentsia serving overseas can be induced to return to the country.”
FUTA members taking part in a protest at Hyde Park last week. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera
FUTA general secretary Dr. Terrance Madujith told the Sunday Times that the trade union action would end only when the government addressed teachers’ demands for a salary increment, gave a promise that circulars that interfered with university autonomy would be withdrawn, and provided specific details on how the eight policies recommended in the Cabinet paper on education were to be implemented. The Government should discuss these issues with FUTA and the university authorities, he said.
“Our main demands on the salary issue have not been resolved,” Dr. Madujith said. “Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that salary demands could not be included in the Cabinet paper, and should be dealt with separately through the Treasury Secretary P. B. Jayasundara,” he said.
Dr. Madujith said the Government policy statement did not specify what percentage of the GDP would be allocated for education, but only said salary amounts would be increased gradually. FUTA members insist that education be allocated 6 per cent, and that if the amounts were to be increased incrementally, then they should reach 6 per cent by 2015, he said.FUTA members are organising a 20-day protest march from Matara to Jaffna as a part of the trade union action.
Last Thursday, the Government announced that the Cabinet of Ministers had decided to appoint a high-powered committee to monitor the implementation of proposals agreed on by university academic staff and the authorities.
FUTA members say the Government’s stated plan to develop Sri Lanka into a knowledge hub should be backed by Presidential Commission recommendations on education reform that applied to the entire education system. Also, the autonomy of universities should be guaranteed, FUTA members added.
Dialogue that gave university academics a say in the formulation of government development strategies would be appreciated, FUTA members added. Dr. Madujith said he would not endorse the Department of Examinations’ idea of asking retired teachers to help in the marking of GCE Advanced Level answer scripts.
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