Female teachers being interviewed for promotions have been asked if they intend having children, their union has claimed, prompting the government to open an investigation.
The Malta Union of Teachers said it had received complaints from women applying for promotions in State schools.
Under Maltese law it is illegal to ask job seekers questions about their private and family plans during an interview.
MUT president Kevin Bonello said personal questions asked to female applicants were “arguably illegal”.
“Questions like: ‘How do you expect to carry out this role properly when you have two children to look after?’ or like: ‘Do you intend to have children in the coming months soon after an eventual appointment?’,” he wrote in a letter sent to the Education Ministry and the Public Service Commission.
The complaints, according to Mr Bonello, went beyond the issue of having children.
“The way interviews have reportedly been carried out is, in short, amateurish, unprofessional, demeaning to interviewees and therefore, due to these facts, the outcomes of these interviews will always remain questionable to the detriment of successful applicants,” he wrote. Interviewees claimed they were interrupted while giving replies, were told to hurry up, and some were contradicted and belittled. Other members were shouted at and told they were wrong.
“One particular member even reported that, while answering the questions put forward, one interviewer allegedly replied to his mobile phone and held a conversation.”
He called on the ministry and the commission to intervene and make sure these practices were addressed with urgency.
The Education Ministry announced that an investigation had been opened.
The Permanent Secretary has sent an official letter to the MUT requesting it to substantiate the claims.
In an earlier statement yesterday evening, the Office of the Prime Minister said that, if the claims turned out to be true, action would be taken because such behaviour would be unacceptable.
The Nisa Laburisti called on the government to probe the claims, saying such behaviour was discriminatory and reinforced stereotypes against women.