The report that appeared on October 13 gives the impression that teaching grades are the only category of public service employees getting a 2.5 per cent pay rise as a result of the recently-signed collective agreement. In fact, this agreement covers all public service employees.

The report proceeded to portray local teachers as enjoying a stroke of luck since their salaries were not hit by austerity measures. To do this, the report gave a distorted view of teachers’ salaries across Europe, giving the impression that the vast majority were hit by austerity measures. However, an analysis of the Eurydice Report actually brings out a completely different picture.

The Eurydice Report (October 2012) shows that Maltese teachers’ salaries, on average, rose by €304 compared to 2009-2010. The participating countries had salary increases ranging from €31 to €20,398. The report shows clearly that only three countries cut salaries due to austerity measures and four kept the same salaries (in comparison to the 2009-2010 report).

The report mixes up information gleaned from the Eurydice Report with the salary increases contemplated in the recently-signed collective agreement. The Eurydice Report (basis year 2010-11) could not feature the salary increase of 2.5 per cent referred to in the article as this emanates from the recent collective agreement. Hence, the percentage salary increase of public service employees is unwittingly mixed up with the Eurydice Report.

The “salary” figures of 23,326 and 30,904 quoted do not reflect the local salaries of teachers in euros but correspond to units of an economic measure, PPS.

Most likely, The Times did not refer to the data sheet for Malta included in the Eurydice Report as this clearly quotes the actual starting salary of teachers as €16,994 rising to €22,515. The substantial difference between the cited figures is evidently due to the fact that The Times did not distinguish between the effective salaries in euros and PPS. It probably used the PPS figures issued by Eurydice in the accompanying press release instead of referring to the actual salaries in euros in the 100+ page report! This ‘mistake’ was repeated conversely vis-à-vis other countries, whose salaries are presented in euros instead of PPS.

The Times also refers to salaries of teachers in independent schools. This does not emerge from the Eurydice Report and, again, a misleading picture of the prevailing salary structure of teaching grades in Malta is given. It also states: “Teachers in Church schools are usually paid as much as those in the public sector...” It must be clarified that all Church school teacherss receive the same salary as those in state schools.

The Malta Union of Teachers would like to thank all teaching grades for their hard work and professionalism and whose dedicated commitment is maintained despite the prevailing economic climate.

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