[attach id=251640 size="medium"]Could teachers in Sliema get special parking passes?[/attach]
Teachers’ union representatives had been promised a solution to Sliema parking concerns by both this and the previous administration, union president Kevin Bonello said defending the union’s strike.
An industrial dispute was registered by the Malta Union of Teachers “several months ago” and Government officials had indicated that a solution would be found. But the town’s council “seems to have other ideas”, Mr Bonello said when contacted.
Sliema teachers will strike for one hour on Tuesday in protest over a new scheme which prohibits non-residents from parking in designated bays for any more than two hours at a time.
The scheme has been slammed by Sliema shoppers, business owners and employees, though the council – which says it is simply implementing parking plans drafted by previous councils – insists the scheme is vital for residents.
Sliema mayor Anthony Chircop said the industrial action was premature. “It came like a bolt from the blue,” he said. “The MUT had written to us before the election with its concerns, but there were no formal meetings before last Thursday’s announcement of a strike.”
It came like a bolt from the blue
Mr Chircop said while the council was willing to discuss solutions, teachers could not expect to be treated any differently to other employees working in Sliema.
“Besides, remember that only half the parking bays are subject to the two-hour parking limit,” he added.
But Mr Bonello argued otherwise. “Our sector is especially delicate. Imagine a kindergarten teacher having to leave three-year-old kids alone to go park their car, or a physics teacher suspending an experiment midway. It’s just impracticable.”
He hoped discussions between the council and Education Ministry would break the existing impasse before Tuesday’s strike, but also hinted that failure to do so would likely to lead to further action.
Heads of the affected Sliema schools all declined to comment on the MUT-ordered industrial action yesterday. St Dorothy’s school head Sr Pauline Farrugia suggested introducing special parking passes for teachers to use during school hours.
That suggestion, backed by St Joseph senior school headmistress Clarissa Fleri Soler, could be one way of resolving the problem, Mr Bonello said.
But would not other sectors feel hard done by if teachers got special treatment?
“That’s up to the local council and other unions to resolve,” Mr Bonello said, “but remember that education is a vitalpublic service.”
Contacted yesterday, General Workers’ Union secretary general Tony Zarb refused to rule out industrial action if the situation was not resolved. “We’re evaluating the situation,” he said.
Last March the GWU had called on then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to intervene in the contentious issue of residents’ parking, saying it would create problems for business owners and those who worked in Sliema.