FUTA still undecided on participating in A/L paper marking

Until a satisfactory conclusion is reached, the decision on the participation of university academics in the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination paper evaluation will be deferred, the Federation of the University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) says.

In a statement, the association said the decision was taken at a special meeting of its Board of Representatives on Tuesday.

The FUTA temporarily called off its continuous trade union action, launched against the government’s tax policy, and rejoin academic activities starting from April 17.

The association said the decision was made after the Education Minister promised to address its concerns.

FUTA also emphasized that the government’s progress would be continuously monitored and threatened to resume the strike if the promises are not fulfilled within a reasonable time frame.

At the meeting, the Board of Representatives had discussed recent correspondence with the chairman of the University Grants Commission and the Education Minister.

It was decided that according to these documents, sufficient action has not been taken to address FUTA’s primary concerns, it said. 

FUTA said it recognizes the Education Minister’s initial dedication but believes that the support of other government officials is needed to successfully implement the proposed changes. 

“Without a concrete plan outlining when the government intends to fulfill its promises, FUTA is hesitant to place its faith in the words of the government. The failure of the government to meet the demands of FUTA has had far-reaching effects on the quality of education, and FUTA holds the government solely responsible.” 

The association said that the government’s response to the demands of FUTA and PTUA (Professionals’ Trade Union Alliance), as well as the government’s treatment of unions, are both undemocratic. “To find a better solution, FUTA wants the government to speak to both FUTA and PTUA. Workers should be allowed to organise into unions and bargain collectively, and the government should honour these rights.” 

“The government should address the concerns of FUTA and PTUA and find a solution that benefits society as a whole. As FUTA, we have informed the government that we will no longer tolerate the government’s failure to address the legitimate demands of the university’s academics, which has led to concerns including life threats for the FUTA leaders.”

“We, at FUTA, strongly disapprove of such conduct and pledge to take any and all measures necessary to stop it in the future. We condemn the threatening behaviour. We advocate for a space where all people can feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of retaliation. We call on every Sri Lankan to stand with us in defending these ideals and fostering an atmosphere of mutual regard and tolerance.”

FUTA had joined a countrywide one-day strike action led by the trade union collective of professionals on March 15 against the recent tax revision, electricity tariff hike and several other unpopular decisions made by the incumbent government.

Although services returned to normalcy after the token strike was called off the following day, the FUTA decided to continue its trade union action as satisfactory solutions were not provided for their demands.