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FUTA determined to stage its protest on June 3
A token strike by university teachers became imminent last night as talks by them with Higher Education Ministry officials ended in a stalemate.
“The majority of our member organisations have already confirmed their participation in the token strike and we will go ahead with it,” FUTA General Secretary Prof. Rohan Fernando said.
However Higher Education Ministry Secretary, Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne said the strike will not take place as the discussions were positive.
The discussion did not bring any solutions regarding the specific demands outlined by FUTA in the letter forwarded to the ministry, Prof. Fernando said.
FUTA last week wrote to the ministry secretary outlining four specific demands including the withdrawal of the new conditions on obtaining the research allowance, halting student union suppression and halting all forms of political interference in the universities.
Further, the association has also highlighted that the ministry has not met the conditions of the joint agreement FUTA signed with the Government when the trade union strike was called in October 2012.
“The ministry offered to revert to the old circular on the research allowance matter but we are not happy. They are yet to establish the high level committee to look into university matters as agreed during the October 2012 discussions” Prof. Fernando said.
Stressing that the ministry has not consulted the association on policy changes regarding higher education in the country as per the 2012 agreement, FUTA has demanded that the gazette notifications on private universities should be withdrawn.
However Dr. Nawaratne said that no gazette notification except for the one issued on January 31 this year would be withdrawn. “The gazette notifications were issued by the then minister. He cannot be challenged,” he said.
He also said FUTA would only be consulted on matters pertaining to State universities as it is only a trade union not a body to be consulted on matters pertaining to private sector education in the country.
The high committee on university matters will be established once the President’s Secretary returns from a foreign visit, he added.
“FUTA is to meet the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Directors regarding the student suppression issue and it will be up to individual Vice Chancellors to decide on the matter,” Dr. Nawaratne said.