The newly proposed abbreviated MCAST collective agreement (2022–2027) introduces several concerning changes compared to the expired 2017–2022 agreement, undermining educators’ working conditions and rights:
Extended Term Without Timely Improvements: The agreement delays critical updates until signed, despite expiring in 2021. Educators have endured stagnant conditions for years, with no or little retroactive improvements.
Increased Workload via Expanded Class Sizes: The new agreement formally introduces a class size cap of 30 students for MQF Level 4, with up to 3 additional students allowed under special circumstances. While the previous 2017–2022 agreement did not codify class size limits, it adhered to a lower, de facto standard generally understood to be around 20 students. This likely increase of up to 50% in student numbers per class significantly intensifies educators’ workloads—through added grading, administrative responsibilities, and classroom management. Such a change risks undermining both working conditions and the quality of education delivered.
Reduced Sick Leave Through Reallocation of Entitlements: The new agreement increases urgent family leave from 16 to 32 hours. However, instead of offering this as a net gain, it reallocates 16 of those hours from educators’ sick leave entitlements, thereby reducing their available time for illness. Under the previous agreement (Clause 25.5.1), urgent family leave was fully drawn from vacation leave. This shift undermines health-related protections by reducing access to sick leave, particularly affecting staff with health conditions
Stricter and Less Attainable Career Progression Criteria: The 2022–2027 agreement introduces a new grade—Senior Lecturer 3—with progression routes requiring up to 23 years of experience for those without postgraduate qualifications. This represents a significant increase from the previous ceiling of 18 years under the 2017–2022 agreement. While multiple routes are provided, the elevated requirements create barriers to timely career advancement, especially for long-serving educators without a Master’s or PhD.
Unclear Intellectual Property Rights: While the 2017–2022 agreement clearly outlined ownership boundaries—granting MCAST rights over institutional materials but preserving lecturers’ ownership of their delivery notes—the new agreement only promises that an IP policy “will be established.” This lack of specificity leaves lecturers without clarity or guarantees regarding ownership of teaching content created independently.
The union urges lecturers to critically assess these proposed clauses and demand revisions that prioritize fair workloads, transparent progression, and meaningful protections for educators’ Intellectual Property.
On the other hand, it appears evident that management grades have been prioritised, as they have progressed further than grassroots educators.
Disclaimer: The full text of the MCAST collective agreement (2022–2027) has not yet been publicly disclosed, nor has it been shared in its entirety with lecturers. To date, only a PowerPoint presentation summarising abbreviated key points has been provided by the MUT.
