{"id":47842,"date":"2012-07-12T00:01:51","date_gmt":"2012-07-12T00:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=47842"},"modified":"2012-07-14T20:24:16","modified_gmt":"2012-07-14T20:24:16","slug":"futa-strike-and-its-detractors-a-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/futa-strike-and-its-detractors-a-response\/","title":{"rendered":"FUTA Strike And Its Detractors: A Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kumudu Kusum Kumara<\/span> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kumudu Kusum Kumara<\/p><\/div>\n

University lecturers of the entire state sector university system in Sri Lanka except the universities of Kelaniya and Uva Wellasa have been on a continuous strike since 4th<\/sup> July under the leadership of the Federation of University Teachers\u2019 Associations (FUTA).\u00a0 At Kelaniya while the overwhelming majority of the teachers\u2019 union membership had been demanding to join the strike it is reported that some members of the union leadership had got themselves entangled in the elections to the post of Vice Chancellor and thereby wanted to prevent a strike at Kelaniya to please the authorities. However members of the union have been clamouring for a change of the decision of the union leaders and most likely that they will join the strike any time soon. (In fact while this article was being finalised the news reached us that the teacher\u2019s union at Kelaniya decided to join the FUTA strike with immediate effect from 11th<\/sup> July.) It is reported that at Uva Wellasa \u00a0which the government promotes as the model university of the future knowledge hub that Sri Lanka is expected to become, university teachers are prevented from forming a trade union. The point is that the overwhelming majority of University lecturers island wide support the strike except a handful of pro government lecturers.<\/p>\n

The government had been given ample notice of the strike and cannot claim it is unaware of the demands of university teachers. Early January, 2012 the FUTA informed the Minster of Higher Education that the government had reneged on the commitments it made to university academics at the end of the FUTA trade union action took place in 2011. The FUTA informed the minister that it would \u201cresort to a trade\u00a0 union action\u00a0 to urge\u00a0 the government and\u00a0 the higher\u00a0 educational\u00a0 authorities\u00a0 to uphold\u00a0 the commitments\u00a0 made\u201d none other than by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa\u00a0 himself\u00a0 to university academic community at that time. The FUTA pointed out that the \u201cauthorities consistently failed to keep the commitments made to the university academics.\u201d \u00a0The FUTA wrote to the President in the same vein in April 2012. On June 13, 2012 the FUTA informed the Minister of Higher Education of its decision to launch a continuous strike on the 4th<\/sup> July. After this decision the Minister invited the FUTA for a meeting on the 20th<\/sup> June the outcome of which was described by the FUTA as having \u201cfailed to resolve contentious issues.\u201d The FUTA president Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri has further mentioned that \u201cPresident Mahinda Rajapaska himself had broken the earlier promise to grant them redress through the budget 2012.\u201d\u00a0 Immediately following the meeting with the FUTA the ministry of higher education (MoHE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) declared a media blitzkrieg on the FUTA. The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Directors (CVCD) and pro-government university teachers were brought in as reinforcements. The Minister S.B. Dissanayaka himself lead the struggle from front. The strategy was to portray to the public the demands as unethical perhaps with a plan to crush the FUTA initiative having won over public opinion in government\u2019s favour. While the \u00a0state media both electronic and print was mobilised for this purpose the FUTA feels that even the \u00a0non-kept media came under pressure to black out the\u00a0 FUTA perspective not however with complete success. The island carried in its Midweek Review on the July 4th<\/sup> the complete FUTA response to the UGC and CVCD. It is non-traditional media on the internet that helped the FUTA to put across its perspective to the public in a however limited manner. It is inevitable that today when mainstream media suppresses the news and views of the \u00a0public web based media will take its place.\u00a0 It is that government action that would decide whether people would turn to face book and other web based social media as tools in their legitimate political struggles. Self fulfilling prophecies are made of such stuff.<\/p>\n

Who really represents university teachers\u2019 community?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the FUTA had announced its strike decision media reported that Sri Lanka University Teachers’ Union met with the President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the 1st of July and \u201cmade a request from the President to grant them a meeting with him to discuss their problems and issues. Accordingly the \u00a0President has set up a meeting for the \u00a0university academics on July 03 under the \u00a0patronage of Secretary to the \u00a0President Lalith Weeratunga.\u201d And secretary to the \u00a0President Lalith Weeratunga invited the FUTA for a meeting on the \u00a03rd<\/sup> on the \u00a0eve of the \u00a0strike and two leaders of the \u00a0Sri Lanka University Teachers’ Union sat on the \u00a0back benches on the \u00a0side the \u00a0government delegation occupied at the \u00a0discussion.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 FUTA announced that the \u00a0meeting with the \u00a0secretary to the \u00a0President was \u201ccordial and was conducted in a conducive manner\u201d and that Mr. Weeratunga listened to the \u00a0FUTA demands and the \u00a0rationale behind them. Secretary to the \u00a0President wanted a week to study the FUTA demands \u00a0and promised to consult the \u00a0stake holders on government side at a meeting to be convened on the \u00a012th of July, 2012. A committee comprising the FUTA and the Ministry of Higher Education was appointed for this purpose. \u00a0Since no agreements on the \u00a0demands were made the \u00a0continuous strike was to be commenced as announced.<\/p>\n

Delay on the \u00a0part of the \u00a0government to intervene to immediately resolve the FUTA trade union action last year as well as at present and the \u00a0recently ended strike of the \u00a0non-academic staff of the \u00a0universities are inexplicable within the \u00a0logic according to which the \u00a0government has time and again expressed concern over the \u00a0disruption of university students\u2019 studies due to trade union action. \u00a0Such delays could possibly be interpreted as part of a strategy to weaken trade union action by bringing it to disrepute in the \u00a0eyes of the \u00a0public and then by taking it through the \u00a0process of resolving industrial disputes with the \u00a0threat of bringing it under the \u00a0procedure of arbitration. It remains to be seen whether the government is willing to take the risk of antagonising the university academic community by following such a strategy this time around.<\/p>\n

Is the salary demand unethical?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Concerted effort on the part of the \u00a0MoHE in response to the \u00a0current demands of the \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0FUTA has been to try to discredit it in the \u00a0eyes of the \u00a0public as unethical. The MoHE and its apologists argue that the \u00a0salaries of university teachers have been increased by large percentages since its trade union action last year. Hence, it is unfair to demand more again when the \u00a0large masses of employees are managing with much lower salaries and when the \u00a0country needs its financial resources to be diverted to development. The FUTA responds to this criticism from several angles. Firstly, the \u00a0manner in which the \u00a0MoHE cites various percentages of salary increases is misleading to say the \u00a0least as they do not reflect the \u00a0true picture of the \u00a0salary increase the FUTA won through last year\u2019s trade union action. Percentages cited are calculated not only taking allowances themselves as salary which is not simply hair splitting as some may want to argue because an increase in the \u00a0basic salary involves much more in terms of contributions to EPF, ETF etc. and also the \u00a0status one holds in the \u00a0world of economics within the \u00a0structure of basic salaries with its attended benefits or disadvantages than an increase in the \u00a0take home pay packet.\u00a0 Secondly, research allowance of 25 percent of the \u00a0salary added since last trade union action as the \u00a0authorities keep on reminding has to be applied for every year by submitting reports of research and does not add to the \u00a0salary automatically.\u00a0 Thirdly, even if we consider the increase to the \u00a0gross take home salary for the \u00a0overwhelming majority of university academics who are senior lecturers the \u00a0increase is not the \u00a0same as that of professors not to talk of senior professors officers whose numbers are less than 200 out of close to 4500 odd university lecturers.<\/p>\n

Honesty of the government is in question<\/strong><\/p>\n

But most importantly the FUTA position is that the government has not been honest in its dealing with the FUTA. During the FUTA trade union action in 2011 \u00a0the \u00a0government accepted as a basis for negotiations the \u00a0FUTA salary proposals which are recommended by the \u00a0Jiffry \u2013 Malik Ranasinghe committee appointed by the \u00a0UGC and accepted by the \u00a0UGC. These were also was the \u00a0basis of the \u00a0discussion FUTA had with the \u00a0President at the end of which he offered a compromise interim salary and asked the FUTA to work out the \u00a0rest of the \u00a0details with government officers. However, later the MoHE began to refer to it as a \u2018perceived\u2019 agreement. It is as if even the \u00a0President\u2019s word is not sacrosanct.\u00a0 What the\u00a0 FUTA requested the \u00a0Secretary to the \u00a0President this time is that not to treat the \u00a0present round of discussions as tactics of a strategy\u00a0 to deflect the \u00a0demands of the \u00a0FUTA somehow but to be honest in the \u00a0government\u2019s response to them. What is at issue here is trustworthiness of the government\u2019s promises. The FUTA expects the \u00a0government\u00a0 to set aside political tactics\u00a0 and manoeuvring and manipulation in dealing with the FUTA and to be upfront about the response to their salary demands. University teachers wants to know what the \u00a0government considers the \u00a0due salary of university lecturers in the \u00a0context of its desire to raise the \u00a0standards of state sector universities and if it is unable to pay such a salary to discuss with the FUTA the \u00a0reasons and the \u00a0prioritisation of allocating\u00a0 government funding to various sectors.<\/p>\n

Increased government funding for education<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is an effort on the part of the government and its apologists to dismiss the other major FUTA demand which is increased government funding for education as a politically motivated move to take government as hostage. It is claimed that trade unions should restrict themselves only to demands that affect their trade mainly meaning salary and working conditions. Even within such a narrow reading of trade union rights we cannot ignore that the meagre allocation of funding to education impacts on salaries of university lecturers. On the other hand if one keeps oneself informed of what is happening around the \u00a0world as academics should do one would realise to one\u2019s surprise that trade unions in fact do take issues of national interest beyond issues narrowly restricted to interests of their own trades. \u00a0Moreover, education is the broad field within which university academics operate and how the government invests in this field is their legitimate concern not only as trade unionists but also as intellectuals whose input into public affairs the \u00a0society \u00a0expects from them by collectively consenting to grant them academic freedom and autonomy to make their intellectual contribution to society. At a broader level as citizens of the country the academics have all the \u00a0right to demand that government invests in education without the \u00a0advancements of which we may not have a culture or a civilisation to fall back on when commercialism promoted by the \u00a0regime take hold of society. \u00a0While the conservative position seeks to restrict FUTA to traditional trade union demands that FUTA has taken on national issues impinging on their trade if accepted by society would change the rules of the game which is part of human activity.<\/p>\n

What the FUTA demand for spending of 6 percent of Gross Domestic Product for education the commitment to which has been reiterated by Sri Lankan government at the second Ministerial Meeting of South Asia Education for All Forum in 2009 held in Dacca highlights is that the FUTA considers education should be a high priority of any government and that it should never be the \u00a0least priority. Education is essential for both economic and social development and improvement of political culture of a country and therefore an\u00a0 investment in the \u00a0future. What the FUTA is attempting to do is to influence government policy on education and it believes that as a trade union of academics it is a legitimate demand to present for consideration by the \u00a0government.\u00a0 Government budget is a reflection of its policy and hence the FUTA\u2019s request to increase\u00a0 budgetary allocations for education.\u00a0 The \u00a0FUTA\u2019s \u00a06 percent demand is a guideline based on what the \u00a0government itself\u00a0 has agreed to and hence it is the duty of the government to have discussion on this with the FUTA. .<\/p>\n

Is there government policy on higher education?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The FUTA demand that the government should declare its policy on higher education has been met with responses such as that mission and vision statements of the MoHE and the \u00a0corporate plans of the \u00a0UGC are government policy.\u00a0 These only reflect poor understanding of what policy is. While various government commissions on education have been appointed from time to time in the \u00a0recent past none of them have been able to convince the \u00a0government to adopt a policy on either general education or higher education. Minister of Education in the 1980s, Ranil Wickremasinghe\u2019s white paper on education is the last known attempt to present a brief for policy discussion on education in recent times.\u00a0 The \u00a0current parliamentary committee on general education has produced a document for public discussion the \u00a0final outcome of which yet again seems to have been lost in the \u00a0legal draftsman\u2019s office.\u00a0 Since Chandrika Kumaratunga was elected as the president of the country educational and higher educational policy of the \u00a0government have been guided by World Bank studies on the subject backed by heavy funding that came through projects such IRQUE, QEF and now HETC. A cursory comparison of World Bank studies and the \u00a0government educational policy orientation during this period would bear testimony to this view. The issue the FUTA interested is in asking the \u00a0government to declare its policy on higher education so that there could be a public dialogue on the \u00a0subject. What the \u00a0university community has been witnessing in the \u00a0recent past is ad hoc policy decisions taken by the \u00a0Minister of Higher Education being implemented at various levels without due consultations with them to the \u00a0detriment of the \u00a0interests of the \u00a0community.\u00a0 It appears that \u00a0Cabinet decisions have been substituted for policy making thus overriding the \u00a0University Act a practice which sets a bad precedence for democratic governance. As is well known an attempt to push a bill to set up private universities through the \u00a0parliament\u00a0\u00a0 without due public consultation was thwarted by strong public opposition. It is reported that the \u00a0authority to grant university status to educational institutes which was originally placed with the \u00a0UGC has been wrested by the \u00a0Minister of Higher Education by gazette notification. The FUTA wants the government to put an end to such arbitrary\u00a0 policy making by cabinet and revert to the tradition of collective policy making.<\/p>\n

Restoring University Autonomy<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u00a0final FUTA demand is to restore autonomy of governance that have been traditionally enjoyed by the \u00a0university academic community which has come under attack with increasing politicisation and micro management and even militarisation creeping into universities. Hence the \u00a0FUTA demand that the \u00a0MoHE gives a pledge to respect and adhere to the \u00a0Universities Act in all matters pertaining to the \u00a0higher education sector\u00a0 so\u00a0 that\u00a0 these\u00a0 institutions\u00a0 can\u00a0 thrive\u00a0 as autonomous\u00a0 institutions. The FUTA demands an assurance that the \u00a0minister shall not interfere in the \u00a0appointment of members of the \u00a0University Councils. The \u00a0assurance must include an undertaking by the \u00a0UGC that the \u00a0qualifications of those appointed and the \u00a0expected expertise each appointee brings\u00a0 in\u00a0 to\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0respective\u00a0 council\u00a0 to\u00a0 be\u00a0 publicized\u00a0 for\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0information\u00a0 of\u00a0 the \u00a0University community and the \u00a0general public. It also demands an assurance to strictly adhere to the \u00a0procedure pertaining to the \u00a0appointment of Vice Chancellors without ministerial interference, at both stages involving the \u00a0University\u00a0 Council\u00a0 and\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0UGC a principle\u00a0 recognized by the \u00a0Supreme Court. It also demands a pledge\u00a0 to\u00a0 allow\u00a0 university\u00a0 councils\u00a0 to\u00a0 be\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0final\u00a0 decision\u00a0 making\u00a0 body\u00a0 with regard\u00a0 to\u00a0 all\u00a0 university\u00a0 appointments\u00a0 both\u00a0 academic\u00a0 and\u00a0 non\u00a0 academic positions. There are also the \u00a0demands for a pledge to stop interfering in the \u00a0allocation of University funds and an\u00a0\u00a0 undertaking\u00a0 to\u00a0 have\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0cabinet\u00a0 approved\u00a0 directive\u00a0 (in\u00a0 violation\u00a0 of\u00a0 the \u00a0Universities\u00a0 Act)\u00a0 to\u00a0 hire\u00a0 the \u00a0\u00a0ultra\u00a0 expensive\u00a0 Rakna\u00a0 Lanka\u00a0 security\u00a0 firm\u00a0 for University security rescinded.<\/p>\n

The first meeting of the committee appointed under the chairmanship of President\u2019s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga is scheduled to take place on the 12th<\/sup> July, 2012 evening. It is the earnest hope of the university teachers represented by the FUTA that the government will take this opportunity to engage the university teachers in their desire to preserve and develop the state sector university system in the country\u00a0 a desire which seems to resonate well with the public of the country given the wide public support the FUTA is receiving in the campaigns to sign an online petition and a petition of million signatures\u00a0 under the slogan \u2018Save Sri Lankan Schools and Universities!\u2019<\/p>\n

(The writer is a member of the Arts Faculty Teachers\u2019 Association, Colombo University.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":47932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[2849,2886,2820],"class_list":["post-47842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial","tag-futa-demands-news","tag-futa-strike-analysis","tag-futa-strike-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFUTA Strike And Its Detractors: A Response - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/futa-strike-and-its-detractors-a-response\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FUTA Strike And Its Detractors: A Response - 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