Unitech national academics (NASA) are on strike, its the 3rd week now..
As we all know, court ordered NASA to complete examination duties...which they have completed...However, upon the advice to the staff from the industrial registra, NASA have resumed strike and will not do grade 12 selection unless their demands are met. The Senior Executive Management (SEM) have counted this move by holding all the expatriate staff leave entitlements as a bargining chip to compel the NASA to do the grade 12 selections.
FYI
comments welcomed
This message has been edited by kolwan on Nov 30, 2006 4:29 PM
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NASA has defied a court order for the last 3 days to return to cleases. To those who r still confused...the whole strike issue is not about DMA...but maladministration and mismanagement. Unitech SEM and council had 3 months to deal with this issue but have choosen to ignore it and hosing it down by claiming that it is due to DMA.
its either no classes(strike) or no classes(locked up in Buimo)
NASA is simply asking for SEM to step aside, an interim sem to step in and investigate the alleged claims by NASA in a textbook-like document of alleged incidences, and more.
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Do NASA have concrete proof of maladministration and corruption by the SEM? I don't want to be bias but I hope that the strike is not riding on emotions.
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Well i belive its tabled in the document that was delivered to the ombudsman, certain MPs, unitech council, etc. NASA members are convinced about the doc and therefore are still on strike as of today.
The situation is now beyond the industrial registrar....stap lo han blo ol lain lo waigani.
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By PETER KORUGL
THE national academic staff at the University of Technology has defied a National Court order to return to classes yesterday.
And they said they were prepared to be thrown into jail for contempt of court as they await their lawyers to get a stay order against the order made by the National Court in Waigani last Friday.
“We are all ready to go to jail for contempt of court. We are not returning to work until our demands are met,” president of the National Academic Staff Association (NASA) Pulas Yowat told The National with his members looking on.
As of yesterday, all acting departmental heads at the University resigned from their position to avoid any conflict of interest situation and are joining the NASA in their industrial actions.
There are over 100 members of NASA, who represent about 80% of the total staff members at the university.
NASA has stated that the strike action would continue until responsible authorities immediately investigate the university’s administration over allegations of mismanagement and corrupt practices that was undermining morale on campus, leading to deterioration in academic programmes and the university’s standing in the community.
The association also petitioned for the removal of the current senior management team, appoint a caretaker administration and institute the probe.
Other issues of concern involved mismanagement of the university’s resources by the administration, medical levy, non remittal of contributions to Nasfund and the Unitech Savings and Loans Society and staff entitlements including domestic market allowances.
Mr Yowat said evidence NASA presented to the university council contained solid proof of clear misuse of university funds and gross abuses of procedures.
The university administration through their lawyers took the matter to the National Court last Friday, which ordered that NASA members return to classes yesterday.
The National Court also ordered that the NASA end the strike pending the decision by the University Council on the new log of claims.
“We believe that the National Court proceeding was defective and we are getting our lawyers to work on that.
“Our vice-president is in Port Moresby to sort this out, and also take the issue up with the industrial registrar,” Mr Yowat said.
He said their next course of action would be determined by the advice they receive from their lawyers or the university council.
Meanwhile, reports from the university stated it was chaotic when classes started yesterday, with only expatriate staff attending to classes.
Acting student representative council president Cathy Magalu said they were waiting for both parties to come to a round table discussion and sort out the problem.
There are over 2,000 students attending the PNG University of Technology including some 668 new intakes this year.
It was expected that the striking staff would meet with the administration but NASA said they were still waiting for that meeting.
Attempts to get comments from the university administration yesterday failed.
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Lae cops set to swoop on NASA executives
THE University of Technology in Lae is headed for turmoil with court orders for police to move onto the campus today and arrest executives of striking National Academic Staff Association (NASA) members.
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This is getting out of hand. Isn't there a better/professional way of dealing with issues like these. Come on, these are people, not criminals for that matter.
Have some respect, come down to their level and listen to them. Involving the police could only make matters worse.
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to be honest I think there is substantial evidence and
and proof...
An observation allowing inference on the issue is the case where
staff morale at the institution is at its all time low....
not only are expert staff leaving but qualified nationals....is that bad enough.....currently there should be less than 30 expert staff...no more than 10 national phd holders....all have pursued more conducive environments...I do not think monetary benefits is the reason for these actions...it has to amount to a man's dignity...if you are unfairly treated or mistreated without
any good reason you would seek other places where you would be accepted as
a worthy employee rather than a slave...
cheers
insider tin tin blo me
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