The Malta Union of Professional Psychologists (MUPP) has declared an industrial dispute over allowances it says are owed to educational psychologists employed at the Education Division.

The dispute revolves around the 1996 collective agreement between MUPP and the government which laid down that allowances were to be paid to psychologists employed by the government, the union said.

However, the allowances were not being paid to all psychologists alike, according to the MUPP. Although it had brought up the matter several times, both verbally and in writing, it had not received a reply from the government.

As a result the union informed the government that it was ready to resort to industrial action unless the dispute was resolved.