Teachers' union accuses CMTU of breaching own statute when voting
The teachers' union yesterday accused the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions of breaching its own statute when it voted to suspend it on Saturday without any of its members being present at the meeting.
The Malta Union of Teachers said it could not understand how the confederation chose not to follow the provisions of its own statute in taking an arbitrary decision without allowing the affected union to explain its side of the story to the rest of the members who voted for its suspension.
When questioned about this, the president of the CMTU, William Portelli, said the union had twice been given the opportunity to explain its position to the confederation's council in the past weeks but failed to do so and kept coming up with excuses. He reiterated that the situation was untenable but added that the door was still open to the MUT, should it mend its ways.
The union's public pronouncement is the latest move in a deadlock which has led to it being suspended from the CMTU last Saturday after a unanimous vote.
The dispute started when the MUT proposed the formation of a Trade Union Council just days after all trade unions joined forces to protest against utility rates.
The MUT's proposal was described by CMTU president William Portelli as "untimely". Although the teachers' union took exception to this comment, Mr Portelli would not retract it.
The rift continued to widen when the CMTU and the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, one of the confederation's affiliates, publicly declared that they approved of the latest electricity rates while the MUT expressed reservations and declared it had no confidence in the CMTU's leadership.
Last Monday the confederation threatened to suspend the MUT's membership unless it changed its attitude towards the CMTU and its leaders.
In a statement yesterday, following Saturday's decision, the MUT said it will "keep looking ahead". The same confederation which had shielded free trade unions against the government in the 1970s, the MUT held, has today ended up in disorder, confusion and without a sense of direction.
The MUT said that its suspension strengthened its resolve to see trade unions work professionally and called on all unions of "good will" to step up efforts not only when there is a crisis but whenever worker interests are at stake, irrespective of who is in government.
The MUT will be writing to the European Trade Union Council secretary general John Monks to explain its position.
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lgalea
Dec 9th 2008, 07:38
c.camilleri
There was no need for the GWU to call industrial action because everything was trashed out before industrial action was needed.
lgalea
Dec 8th 2008, 21:16
c.camilleri
Maybe you are so rich that you don't mind Gonzipn putting his hands in your pocket, but the rest of the people are fed up with paying for Government excesses and being skinned alive by your Gonzipn taxes.
If you are happy with paying exorbitant tariffs (read taxes) when we should not be paying anything with the present price of oil WE are NOT.
That is why the other Unions not in Gonzipn's pocket want more information and are not agreeing with the CMTU, because they want to protect US against the SCROOGE Gonzipn.
c.camilleri
Dec 8th 2008, 16:18
@ igalea. Pls tell us in whose pockets is the Gwu? The unions in the Gonzipn's pockets had the courage to call industrial actions during the Nationalist Administration. Now again tell us how many indurstrial actions has the Gwu taken during the labour Administration ? I tell John Bencini to stop this nonsense which is doing no good to his union and is only pleasing people who hope for the day to see a labour Govt who in the past did not think twice before crashing the teachers' movement.
G. Scerri
Dec 8th 2008, 13:18
OK so Unions have their shortcomings and true enough, there are differences between those who lead and the led. There always will be for nobody is going to stick his or her neck out for you and me in return for nothing. Human nature doesn't work like that I'm afraid. But this problem goes way beyond teachers' working hours or clashes of personality. The CMTU and the UHM were extremely quick off the mark to accept the government's proposals. In litte Malta it is not difficult to know the reason for this. Not when you see who was on the other side of the Union see-saw. It is probably the same reason that encouraged the same two unions not to press too hard for solidarity at a difficult time for the government. Whether that is justified or not is another matter. We have reached a point on this island, when even the breath we breathe comes out either red or blue. All one has to do is to read the on-line comments submitted day after day.
lgalea
Dec 8th 2008, 12:53
MUT, go on with your TUC plans.
Don't let unions who are in Gonzipn's pocket stop you.
CMTU et al, what do you say now that Dr Joseph Muscat has reminded the people and Gonzipn that there was NO SURCHARGE when the price of oil was at the present level?
H.Calleja
Dec 8th 2008, 12:46
It's about time that both the CMTU and the MUT decide that all Malta has had enough of this silly situation that is showing that, after all , the rift that has cropped up would be easily thrashed with a litte bit of good will and a lot of understanding. Why has'nt some leaders of other affiliated unions come to mediate between the two sides? Or are they happy to see this situation! If this situation persists, don't even ever talk of a TUC!!
C Micallef
Dec 8th 2008, 12:04
Should we all work till 65?
Besides having slave workers in Malta who are forced to work long hours during Christmas season, do you know what MUT said in reaction to the governments proposal to increase the pension age to 65, some years ago? They said that MUT does not mind as long as teachers are exempted! I still kep the cuttings of these headlines. Is this what they call union unity? Are only teachers the only stressed workers in Malta? Doesn't a 30-hour a week work and nearly 4 months of holidays yearly compensate for their stress?
C Micallef
Dec 8th 2008, 10:10
I agree with union unity BUT it has to work both ways.
If you want union unity on general issues that affect also teachers (eg electricity bills), then why not also have union unity on general issues regarding great discrepancies and abuses of workers' rights and poor conditions of work? Doesn't the Sun rise the same for all? Do you know what they tell you? "Become a teacher like us". But then they explode if you tell them to become doctors and work long hours on end when they (incl. MUT) envy the salaries of certain health professionals...
How many thousands of Maltese workers never know what is real Christmas season, year after year? They not only cannot avail themselves of the meagre amount of leave entitlement, but are also forced to work very long hours including Sundays. If YOU were one of these poor workers, how would YOU react when you see your union cannot do anything for you but at the same time you see your union representatives eating the kirxa with the union of glorified workers who, inspite of the great pressures from the labour market to be productive, earn a bonus for not going to work!
victor caruana
Dec 8th 2008, 09:42
In the meantime your members are going to be made to suffer by the new and unfair tariffs for water and electricity. Just grow up, be mature and stop making fools of yourselves - and this applies to all unions burdened by chronically poor leadership.