The Malta Union of Professional Psychologists has directed members in the Education Division's Psychological Services Department to take industrial action.

The union ordered the department's psychologists not to do any work related to assessing and recommending students sitting for Junior Lyceum examinations and not to carry out visits to state, Church and independent schools.

The Education Ministry said in reaction it was not prepared to consider the union's requests for allowances before its members started working normal working hours.

The ministry said it was also considering what steps to take if the union insisted on its directives.

It said that some years ago, a number of teachers had been chosen to undertake a university course training them to work as psychologists in the education sector. As a result, they were bound to work as government psychologists in the education sector. But once they were appointed, they expected to retain the hours they had as teachers, including Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.

The ministry said that nowhere in the call for applications had there been a condition or promise that the working hours of government psychologists in the education sector would be different from those of psychologists in other sectors.

The Education Ministry insisted it did not need psychologists who stopped working at 2.30 p.m., worked half days and took long holidays during the year.

The union could not be contacted for comment.