Dateline: 3 January 2009
Riddle me this…how is it that a simple topic like this can (de)generate into unhealthy rumours and that which unfairly accuses our sister union, TGSU of sabotaging the College plan? It has come to the attention of the TARCASA Council there is a nasty piece of rumour circulating that TGSU is faulted with derailing the 5-day plan. The TGSU President, Encik Yahaya has issued a strong denial on this unfair and baseless accusation.
He said at the height of this rumour (which we believe to be approximately two months ago), TGSU had not yet even met with the Management to negotiate their soon-to-expire Collective Agreement (CA) much less talk about the 5-day matter. Unfortunately though, this rumour has not died a natural death. The latest news (as recent as yesterday evening!) is this rumour is percolating in one of the Branch Campus.
When we met the College Principal on 18 Oct 2008, we had an affirmation that College is serious in wanting to go ahead with this 5-day thingy. This affirmation was subsequently re-affirmed when our Vice-Principal met with the TARCASA President just only late last week and again reiterated College’s stand — but with a caveat, that is both unions TARCASA and TGSU will have to come to a compromise and firm understanding with the College on the terms and work conditions. Fast and hard details are not known yet up to this point in time.
The Vice-Principal did mention the Management looks forward to meeting us sometime this January 2009 over this issue (plus other topics within the purview of the JCC). So until then, the TARCASA Council would like to urge all members to refrain from listening to and spreading any news other than what has just been written above.
Perhaps, as a matter of personal opinion, rumours are abound when we humans are starved of much needed information. And our only regret is that we were not able to start this blog earlier to quickly pass on information to everyone. If all of us knew then what we know now, then probably this unhealthy rumour-mongering would not have even seen the light of day.
Filed under: News / Announcements | Tagged: 5-day, Collective Agreement, Principal, rumour, TGSU, Vice-Principal |
Tarcasa's Blogsite 
We shall wait for good news regarding the 5-day work week. Meanwhile, any news on bonus? 🙂
Bonus? You probably know as much as everyone else regarding this! 🙂 Truth is, rumours are abound — some say 4+1, then it became 4, later on we heard it is 6, you take a pick… . The only time rumours cease is when our Registrar issues a circular on this. When is the circular released? The Management is holding this trumpcard close to their chest.
I hope we have the best news ever. The five days working weeks and off course, the bonus.
Can our tarcasa member say something about the warning letter should be given to invigilator during exam time even they are on MC’s.(from the panel clinic some more)
And there is one more inquiry. Did our collegue insured all the staff while in the college teritory? Any procedures to apply?
I would like to congratulate the college for having this blog to air lecturers views. We are forward looking. Well done!
To avoid rumours flying around, it is important to release information once it is available. Information is valuable for decision making.
May I wish those who celebrate CNY, Gong Xi Fatt Cai. Those do not celebrate CNY happy holiday.
Hello noorhana,
We are all protected by the SOCSO. But I do not think College has bought us Personal Accident (PA) coverage. That we must do ourselves.
We would like to comment on the other point you made (warning letter during exam time for MC) but we need to know more details. Why was the warning letter given? On what grounds as stated in that letter? Without knowing this, it is not possible for us (or any other TARCASA member) to comment appropriately.
Hi there !
This is only my suggestions:
– Can the College organize an annual dinner cum family day every
year to poster unity and team work among the staff ….or
– Sports carnival among the staff annually to promote
healty live sytle among the staff
Any comments…..
I heard (rumour?) that to get the 5-day week,
1. TGSU and TARCASA must BOTH agree
2. We may have to give up 3 days of our annual leave entitlement
3. We have to take compulsory leave during festive season, 2 days for CNY and 1 day for hari raya – currently college declare as a holiday and we enjoy more than the 30 / 35 days we have.
4. we have to come back on saturdays if the time-table cannot fit in the 5-day week, what’s more now the definition of 1 credit hours is equivalent to 1.5 tutorial hours (MQA), we will have 50% more tutorial time.
5. Absence on saturdays accompanied by mc will not be counted as part of the 30-day clinical leave entitlement.
While we will leave it to the wisdom of the EXCO of both unions to come to the agreement, and the giving up the 6 days or so annual leave entitlement is not much (every year I have at least 10 days my annual leave forfeited) the requirement to come back on saturdays for the whole semester may be a bit demotivating for those who are unlucky to have to. (In this respect, I suggest that TARCASA somehow negotiate that should such a person have to teach on saturdays, at least (s)he is given one other day off in the week, hence to him/her it is also a 5-day week, just that it is staggered.
I am not sure how much savings each lecturer, and collectively, get from not coming to sign-in on saturdays, but TARCASA should know that the 5-day week thingy is finacially more beneficial to the college than to the individual staff, IMHO, as the savings on electricity and water can be substantial. If this is the case, the staggered 5-day week for staff may not be appealling to College management.
Will tarcasa care to comment on this?
Do you mean this is not been practised in KL? We be given instructions by our head, if happens to be one of the invigilator takes MC during his/her invigilations time, he/she will be given a warning letter. Why? we don’t dare to ask…but one reason if I can recall, because some of the branches staff misused and misabused the MC…
I guess, our branch here must always keep fit and healthy during exam because warning letter will be such a big deal for us and it will affect the ‘performance evaluation’.
Hi again, Noorhana!
When you say ‘warning letter’, do you really mean the ‘pink form’? If that is correct, then yes, even those of us in KL (and other Branches too, I believe) will be asked to explain our absence in a pink form. Nobody gets away with that. And after replying to the Head of School (HOS) and having submitted the MC as documentary proof, the case is closed.
Hello Philip LH LIM,
You are quite spot on with your observations there. Actually, the blog moderator(s) would like to provide a more comprehensive write-up of the outcome of our first-round JCC talk held on 7 January. But been feeling under the weather of late, and just not in the ‘creative literary’ mood to pen down thoughts. Sorry. Give us a little more time and soon it will appear in this blog under the ‘JCC News’ page.
But a quick reply to your assertion that too many Saturday classes (replacement or otherwise) in one semester can be demotivating to some, the Management foresaw your point much earlier and therefore they were quick to point out that in practice, when it comes to time-tabling preparation, the respective School has to take into cognizance the fact that Lecturer A has already done 14 weeks of continuous Saturdays in this semester and will not be allocated any more Saturdays in the coming semesters.
It is more of a 50/50 solution, really. Everybody gives and takes. If there really is no issue of availability of rooms / laboratoraries at appropriate hours, then there would never be a need to hold Saturday classes or lab sessions. But unfortunately, we were told that some technical schools / departments may experience such a problem and hence will have to hold Saturday classes/labs. So, we compromise by agreeing to do for 14 continuous Saturdays but not the other semesters. And that means the other lecturers who were not allocated Saturdays earlier, will in big likelihood be assigned Saturday classes / labs in the coming semesters.
Nop…I know the pink form…I really mean warning letter whereby it will be attach inside your performance evaluation…
Anyway..thanks for the information..
I read with interest pertaining to the lattest development on the 5 day work.
May I share with the members any changes to the Collective Agreement can be carry out at any time. We do not have to wait till the end of the CA. It can be done through an exchange of letters between the Management and the Union. This is especially so when comes to better staff welfare and benefits. Time is money. Why have to wait till the expiry of the CA ?
Actually, Ms. Wong, the CA between TGSU and College just only expired in January 2009. So, the timing was very opportune indeed for both TGSU and College to negotiate a better CA and to include new terms and regulations for the 5-day work issues. They weren’t waiting for the CA expiry, in fact.
Not so of course for TARCASA. Our CA still has a year and a half to go. But you’re right. We can effect necessary changes through exchange of documents and to inform the Jabatan Kesatuan folks as well.
Tarcasa, thank you for the forward looking attitude. Keep it up