University crisis: Resume talks! Editorial

October 3, 2012, 12:00 pm , The Island

The Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA) is reported to have reiterated, at a meeting with the Maha Nayake Theras who have offered their services as mediators to resolve the university crisis, that it does not expect financial allocations for the education sector to be increased to six per cent of the GDP overnight. It made its position clear at the very inception of its struggle. The government propagandists, true to form, misinterpreted that demand in a bid to make it out to be a flight of fancy. What the university teachers have done is to set a goal for the government to achieve in the national interest.

The FUTA strike is aimed at winning a pay hike, pressuring the government to increase funding for education, putting an end to political interference in universities and asserting university teachers’ right to be consulted when vital decisions are made on the higher education sector, among other things. Now that the FUTA has re-emphasised that it does not seek a huge increase in government funding for education overnight, the government ought to respond positively. There is no reason why it cannot undertake to increase funding for education as its avowed goal is to turn this country into Asia's Knowledge Hub. It could demonstrate its willingness to invest more in education by increasing funds for that sector from the next budget. It must also rid the universities of political interference, which has eaten into the very vitals of the higher education sector. It is puzzling why the government has not yet agreed to consult university teachers when crucial decisions are made on universities. This demand should be granted straightaway as teachers are stakeholders and feel for the wellbeing of universities more than politicians and their bureaucratic yes-men.

The government, in our view, has only one main problem to contend with–the FUTA demand for a pay hike. That, too, will not be intractable if it constructively engages the striking dons instead of trying to force them into submission.

The government is in the habit of adopting a confrontational approach and trying to bulldoze its way through in dealing with workers in spite of having within its ranks respected, veteran trade unionists. President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself is a former trade union leader and as Minister of Labour he mooted the Workers' Charter which President Chandrika Kumaratunga shot down. The government's abortive attempt to ram an ill-conceived pension scheme down the throat of the private sector demonstrated its arrogance and callous disregard for workers' concerns and rights. As for the FUTA strike, the government seems to think that it will be able to wear down the striking dons or engineer a rift in the FUTA. But, if the resilience of the strikers is anything to go by, the government has its work cut out.

As President Rajapaksa said in an interview with this newspaper when he was the Minister of Labour in the Kumaratunga government, in a labour dispute no one wins; both parties lose, for trade union action affects their institution's interests adversely. He often says that he is for win-win solutions to labour problems. But, regrettably, his government does not seem to practise what he preaches. It has allowed the FUTA strike to drag on indefinitely while universities remain crippled with students wasting the best years of their lives. No wonder youth unrest finds expression in violent uprisings from time to time!

The FUTA has not walked away from negotiations with the government or refused to talk. It has shown flexibility and the government should reciprocate by resuming talks with the strikers and going on negotiating as a national priority until a solution is found. It should desist from driving the university teachers to extreme action and labeling them as traitors. That is the only way to bring about a win-win solution in keeping with President Rajapaksa's thinking or Mahinda Chinthana.

Jumping the FUTA bandwagon!

October 3, 2012, 7:04 pm , The Island

Protest march by FUTA in Colombo,(file photo)

I wonder how many of those who joined the FUTA march from Galle to Colombo fully understood what the ‘6%’ printed on the back of the T-shirts some of them wore or the ‘6% of GDP’ displayed on boards they carried really meant, in terms of financial magnitudes or annual allocations from the national budget. I also doubt whether most of the politicians who jumped the FUTA bandwagon to gain some mileage for themselves or their parties as champions of free education and university autonomy had a clue.

In a short piece I wrote to The Island on 13th September, I asked as to why FUTA based its demand for additional resources for education on the GDP and not on the national budget which would have been more easily quantifiable and, therefore, more easily understood by the public whose support it is seeking. I pointed out therein that the GDP has different manifestations and that, in any case, it is a post facto computation as those who compute it will point out.

As for the march itself, it was interesting (if not amusing!), to see the JVP and the UNP joining it almost hand in hand, and making their presence felt at the Hyde Park rally. The JVP decision to jump the bandwagon did not come as a surprise as they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by joining in any campaign against the government, as a means of gaining some public support. The UNP doing so, however, mouthing slogans traditionally associated with the JVP and the so-called Antare (Inter-University Student Federation) came as a surprise. They seem to have forgotten how the SLFP, together with its allies, joined the JVP and organized mass protests and street demonstrations against the White Paper on Education placed for public discussion in 1981 by the then Education Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and even got school children to come out of their class-rooms shouting slogans.

Together, they disrupted the schools and created such mayhem that the government was forced to roll back the White Paper which contained many useful proposals for improving education in this country. Very few of them knew what a White Paper meant, no different from most of those who are today clamoring for 6% of GDP to be allocated for education within the next couple of years. Adversity, no doubt, makes strange bed-fellows!

Eric J. de Silva

CMU donates Rs. 500,000 to FUTA

October 4, 2012, 7:01 am , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) donated Rs. 500,000 to the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) which is currently on a continuous strike.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri said that CMU General Secretary Bala Tampoe had handed over the cheque yesterday.

"We formed a fund called FUTA activity and Welfare Fund to assist our members," he said.

Dr. Devasiri said that FUTA members could obtain loans from the fund as they had not been paid for last three months due to the strike.

He said that several people had donated money to the fund so far and FUTA was seeking more funds for their future course of action.

University teachers launched a continuous strike three months ago and government has not paid their salaries since then.

Govt.-FUTA crucial talks today

October 4, 2012, 6:45 am , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The government would hold a crucial meeting with the striking university teachers today to solve the problems which had led to the strike, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake said.

He said that the meeting would most probably be held with the Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, following a request by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA).

Addressing the media at Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Minister Dissanayake said that he had met the Venerable Mahanayake theros and they too had wanted the university teachers’ problems solved through negotiations.

Dissanayake said that talks between the presidential secretary Lalith Weerathunga and university teachers had failed due to The FUTA’s opposition to a presidential commission to solve the problem.

The FUTA had initially agreed to the appointment of a presidential commission to solve the problem, but it had later changed its position, he said.

When contacted for comment, FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri said that the government had yet to inform them of the meeting to be held today (04).a

President ready to talks to FUTA if strike is called off, SB tells prelates

October 3, 2012, 12:00 pm 

By Cyril Wimalasurendre. The Island

KANDY: Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayaka, calling on the Most Venerable Mahanayaka, of the Ramangna Mahanikaye, Napana Pemasiri Thera, residing at Menikhinna, disclosed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was ready to hold talks with the FUTA if the university teachers called off their strike.

The Minister paid similar visits to the Anunayaka Thera of Asgiriya and the Nayaka Thera of Getambe Rajopawanaramaya yesterday (03).

Explaining the university crisis due to the strike launched by university teachers, Dissanayaka said that at least 50 per cent of the academic staff of the universities had returned to work and only a handful of dons were still on strike.

The striking dons and their allies were demanding 6 per cent of the GDP for education. The government was currently allocating 4.5 per cent on education provided to students at different educational institutions including, universities, the Minister claimed.

However, President Rajapaksa hadcat announced that he would talk to the FUTA only if it called off the strike action, Minister Dissanayaka told the prelates.

Ven. Pemasiri Thera said that the being a group of intellectuals the university teachers were aware what a government could and could not do. Therefore, they should meet the President and find a reasonable solution for the sake of the country’s children.

The Minister also called on the prelate of Malwatte who conferred blessings him.

Prof. Athula Senaratne, Vice Chancellor University of Peradeniya accompanied the minister.

Only MR can solve FUTA problem: Dewasiri

Dailymirror
Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri yesterday said the trade union struggle launched three months ago by the FUTA had come to a position that only President Mahinda Rajapaksa could resolve it.

Addressing the media at the Ceylon Mercantile UNION (CMU) office after accepting a donation of Rs. 500,000 from the CMU, he said the FUTA was awaiting a positive response from the Presidential Secretariat to start a dialogue with President Rajapaksa.

“We are not ready to accept piecemeal solutions to our demands. We want satisfactory solutions to all our demand and we are ready for compromise. We expect President Rajapaksa’s intervention to achieve a durable solution,” Dr. Dewasiri stressed.   

Meanwhile giving a boost to the trade union action launched by university academics, CMU General Secretary, veteran trade union leader Bala Tampoe yesterday donated Rs. 500,000 to FUTA.

Addressing the media at the CMU office, Tampoe said he decided to make the financial donation to encourage and strengthen the FUTA struggle to win its demands.

The FUTA has launched a brave, courageous and legitimate struggle to win its demands not only for its membership but on behalf of the entire education sector. Therefore it is our duty and responsibility to assist them in any way possible. I believe all right thinking trade unions and other social organisations would take a cue from us and assist FUTA  to continue their trade union action until they will all their demands,”  Tampoe said.

He added the propaganda spread by the government that FUTA was getting help and sponsored by the Tamil Diaspora and the LTTE remnants was totally false. (Sandun A. Jayasekera)