MUT's fate to be decided tomorrow

The future of the Malta Union of Teachers as the second largest affiliate of the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions will be decided in a meeting tomorrow, The Times has learnt.

The confederation's members will convene to discuss the situation after its ultimatum to the MUT to change its attitude towards the CMTU expires today.

The dispute between the two was sparked off when the MUT proposed the formation of a Trades Union Council only a few days after all trade unions united to oppose the proposed water and electricity tariffs. The proposal was described as "untimely" by CMTU president William Portelli and the MUT took exception to the use of this word. Mr Portelli would not, however, retract it.

The rift widened when the confederation and one of its affiliates, Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin declared publicly that they approved of the latest electricity rates but the MUT itself said it had reservations and declared it had no confidence in the way the CMTU was being led.

On Monday, the confederation threatened to suspend the teachers' union from its membership as of today unless it changes its attitude towards the confederation and its leaders.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (which is not a CMTU affiliate as erroneously reported yesterday) and the University Academic Staff Union Association (Umasa), have backed the MUT limitedly on its idea of forming a TUC. Contrary to the impression given in yesterday's report that these two unions expressed solidarity with the MUT in connection with the dispute, neither in fact commented on the rift.

The unions that form part of the CMTU are the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, the Malta Union of Teachers, the Malta Union of Bank Employees, the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists, the Medical Association of Malta, the Lotto Receivers Union, the Malta Union of Professional Psychologists and the Union of Maltacom Graduates.

At the beginning of the new scholastic year, Umasa and the MUT worked together to try win hefty wage increases for University lecturers but have so far been unsuccessful.