ITS academics will benefit from conditions at par with their counterparts in local Higher Education Institutions, through the signing of a collective agreement between the Institute of Tourism Studies and the Malta Union of Teachers.
The MUT in a statement said that, this collective agreement, which was agreed following a year of discussions, will be in effect as from 1st January 2017, with a five-year term and was approved with absolute majority by academics.
It is the first time in 27 years, that ITS academics will benefit from conditions at par with their counterparts, the MUT said, including salaries which match those of other Higher Educational Institutions.
Also for the first-time, academics will also benefit from academic work resources and work conditions in line with other academic institutions and assist in progressing towards modular teaching, which will assist in developing ITS even more so as to compete with International Institutions.
The MUT remarked that it will also pave the way for the ITS’ project to develop the Institute into an International Tourism and Hospitality Education Hub.
It said that with this objective in mind, ITS and MUT agreed on new flexible work practices, ranging from 8:30am to 11pm, which reflect operational practices of the industry.
In a statement Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi said that the signing of this collective agreement is an important step towards transforming the Institute for Tourism Studies into a world class higher National educational institution.