The UPE is informed that the ITS has issued letters intimating disciplinary action against members of staff for allegedlyhaving followed UPE directives.
The Union of Professional Educators is therefore, by means of the present, declaring a trade dispute with the Institute for Tourism Studies on
these retaliatory measures being taken against members or perceived members of the UPEfor allegedly having followed its directives intended to protect their health and safety and professional integrity.
Furthermore the UPE is also declaring the present dispute for the mischaracterisation of its directives at ITS as
“unofficial industrial action” when in fact the UPE’s directive were issued in furtherance of another trade dispute it had declaredwith the ITS, which dispute is still currently in force.
The UPE reiterates its position also affirmed before the Director of Industrial and Employment Relations that its directives atITS are perfectly legitimate as these were issued in furtherance of an existing trade dispute with ITS. Moreover, the said directivesare in no way related to the collective agreement but to the physical conditions in which the workers are expected to work and relatedhealth and safety issues.
The UPE considers the ITS’ intimation of disciplinary action as tantamount to intimidation and bullying of workers for followinglegitimate union directives intended solely to protect their health and safety and professional integrity and the workplace. Furthermore,the UPE sustains that the ITS’ course of action is also highly discriminatory given that certain workers who were not following the directives(because they were not applicable to their line of work) were still issued with the same letter intimating disciplinary procedures presumablyfor being held as UPE members or sympathizers.
For the above reasons the UPE is issuing the following directives which will be effective as from Monday 21st November 2022.
ITS members of the UPE are not to teach, lecture or do practical sessions when they are assigned foundation/certificate individual classes.
ITS members of the UPE are not to correct, assign marks on paper, orally or digitally to foundation/certificate individual classes.