'Impasse' over nurses' collective agreement

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has called an urgent council meeting for Monday after reaching an impasse with the government in negotiations over its collective agreement.

The MUMN yesterday met representatives of the Health Division, Management and Personnel Office and Finance Ministry on the sectoral agreement.

But the union complained that the government had not taken into consideration its demands when it submitted its counter-proposals.

Nurses and midwives were once again being treated like "second-class professionals", the MUMN said, and the government was not prepared to give them the same incentives as other professionals to advance academically.

The union insisted that its members should be entitled to the same assistance being given to other professionals.

Even though the collective agreement signed between the government and unions last December stipulated that negotiations for sectoral agreements and early retirement schemes should have been concluded by last June, the government had instead "closed all doors to negotiations".

In the circumstances, the MUMN said it had no alternative but to call a council meeting on Monday to analyse the situation and to establish what action to take to safeguard its members' interests.