Teachers' union calls off Church schools strike

The planned teachers' strike in Church schools tomorrow has been called off but government school and sixth form students may have to skip classes because the Malta Union of Teachers has not lifted its action completely.

The union said it was prepared to withdraw its action completely only if the government presented counter-proposals to its proposed amendments to the 2007 education reform.

The proposals include new requests such as increases in allowances - some of which were being doubled - new wages for new posts and reducing the number of students in each class.

The government is insisting that, while it is willing to engage in discussions with the union, talks on the amendments would continue once negotiations on supply teachers were concluded. The union is also negotiating with the government on implementing, among other things, wage increases in the supply category.

Despite the authorities having stressed this during a meeting with the MUT on Monday, the union still decided to go ahead with the industrial action to the detriment of students, the Education Ministry said.

The MUT announced last week it had ordered a strike in Church, government and sixth form over the lack of implementation of several measures in the education reform. Tomorrow's strike is to be followed by work-to-rule directives as from Monday, when junior lyceum exams begin.

When the strike was announced, the Church Secretariat for Education asked the union to suspend the industrial action, saying it was unjustified.

It pointed out that several meetings had taken place between the Church and the union since the 2007 agreement was signed. The latest draft was sent to the secretariat on April 2 and the MUT declared an industrial dispute on April 6, just three days later, the secretariat said.

Although the agreement had not been signed, Church school teachers started receiving an increase to their allowance as from last January.

The union called off its strike in Church schools after it reached an agreement with religious authorities during a meeting on Sunday, when pending issues on the renewal of a collective agreement were settled.

Education Minister Dolores Cristina yesterday insisted the government was honouring the 2007 reform agreement as teachers were all paid the allowances agreed upon and 76 per cent of the agreement had already been implemented.

The Forum of Maltese Trade Unions expressed solidarity with the MUT in connection with the action it was taking to safeguard teachers' rights.