The ITUMAT at its SGM held on July 25th at University of Moratuwa unanimously agreed to suspend the TUA and resolved to bring to the attention of FUTA the Executive Committee, the following:
(a) The ITUMAT members totally disagree with the conditions attached to the proposed R&D allowance as it is counted as a part of the salary. This allowance should not be governed by any conditions . The ITUMAT severely condemn the unauthorised submission of “Amended conditions made to R&D” which is prepared by one of sister unions. Those relaxed conditions are still unknown to FUTA Exco members and their constituents. The main slogan of the FUTA’s struggle throughout the trade union action was diluted and abandoned and we may not anymore able to demand in cancelling conditions attached to R&D.
(b) The proposed salary of Probationary Lecturers should be increased from 37.5% to 60% to address the scarcity of highly qualified Graduates and to attract and retrain them in the University system .
(c) The salary scales proposed after negotiations do not meet the FUTA demands. The salary structure proposed by FUTA in it’s interim proposal should be fully executed within the time frame agreeable to FUTA.
(d) The Proposed housing loan should be granted with the same interest rates and the payback period applicable to public sector employees.
The ITUMAT exhibits it’s displeasure about rapid abandon of the trade union action without achieving determined goals while having several powerful strategies such as A/L marking etc in hand.
NEW PROPOSAL
It has been noted that Engineering Teaching Assistants (ETAs) have been overlooked in this proposal even though the demonstrators have been considered for a salary increase. ETAs perform duties of University teachers as per their letters of appointment and they are also members of sister unions of FUTA. Further the ETAs are a permanent carder performing more academic duties than the demonstrators who are a temporary carder
The ITUMAT therefore proposes that FUTA undertakes the issue of increasing ETA salary approximately 60% on reasonable grounds.
