Parents will be given a “logistical solution” for their children this weekend, ahead of a planned nationwide teachers’ strike on Monday, government sources said yesterday.
The Malta Union of Teachers stormed out of a mediation meeting with the education authorities on Friday, moments after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told reporters that the government was prepared to withdraw a controversial legislative reform of the Education Act.
Meanwhile, the MUT council is meeting on Saturday to discuss whether to forge ahead with the strike.
Educators’ unions have come out strongly against a proposal to introduce an element of continuous assessment into the teachers’ warrant system, saying the changes would mean the warrant would no longer be permanent.
The authorities have denied this is the case.
MUT president Marco Bonnici said it was “unacceptable” that the Prime Minister had disclosed what was being discussed during a conciliation meeting just after it had first been raised behind closed doors.
Read: Teachers to strike on Monday, despite PM's offer to withdraw proposals
An emergency meeting of the union’s executive council later in the day voted to forge ahead with the strike despite the government’s pledge to withdraw the reform.
And, in a last-minute press conference on Friday evening, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said that the government had already written to the Speaker, informing him that it would be withdrawing the reform. This, Mr Bartolo said, was a first in Maltese parliamentary history.
The government, he added, had also written to the MUT informing it that it had moved ahead with the withdrawal and urged them to suspend the strike action “in the best interest of teachers, children and parents”.
Venting his frustration at the situation, Mr Bartolo turned to journalists and said: “I ask why the MUT are still striking? Why, if the reform has already been withdrawn, are they still going to hold a strike? I don’t have an answer.”
Some independent and Church schools yesterday sent out e-mails and messages to parents suggesting they keep their children at home or find alternative arrangements in preparation of the strike.
One private school said it was expecting major staff shortages and would not be able to ensure the safety and well-being of children on school grounds during the strike.
Mr Bartolo said he was aware of the situation, however, when asked what the government would do – including for parents whose children attend State schools – he said the government was still working on logistical arrangements.
A government source yesterday said that these would be communicated to parents on Saturday, or latest tomorrow, if the union went ahead with the strike action, as was expected.
Meanwhile, Mr Bartolo said that while the government hoped the union would call off the strike, it would still respect all teachers no matter what they decided to do on Monday.