Saturday, July 23, 2011

OUTA Position on the Abrupt end to the TU Action

OUTA Position on Interim Solution as Expressed through the Emergency General Meeting  Held on 22nd July 2011 at the Faculty of HSS Seminar Hall.

The OUTA Membership unanimously resolved to bring to the attention of the FUTA  Executive Committee, the following:

1.    The manner in which the FUTA members have been appointed to represent the membership in the Joint Committee mentioned in the letter dated 21st July 2011 sent by Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne is not to the satisfaction of the Open University  Teachers Association.

2.    It is in the best interest of the FUTA future deliberations with the government that each university nominates a person to be a member of a Resource Pool for the FUTA Ex- Committee to select.

3.    The OUTA fully endorses the position taken by the Engineering Faculty Teachers’ Union (EFTU)- Peradeniya in their communication of 22nd July as follows: 

(a)    The conditions attached to the proposed R&D allowance are extremely detrimental to University education as a whole as we have clearly pointed out throughout the period of trade union action. This allowance should be given without any conditions attached, and if this issue is not resolved within a period of one month, FUTA should reserve the right to re-launch the TUA without any further notice.

(b)    The salaries proposed under the current agreement will not in any manner address the main issues. The present decision to conditionally resume voluntary duties is made in good faith and with the understanding that the salary structure proposed by FUTA in its interim proposal submitted to the MOHE on 07/07/2011 will be fully 
implemented within the time frame stipulated. If this is not met FUTA should reserve the right to re-launch our trade union action without any further notice.

4.    The OUTA expresses its serious concern about lack of transparency and non 
consultative process which has brought the trade union action to an abrupt halt.