Teachers in State and Church schools will today be performing minimum duties - teaching and correcting - as a work-to-rule directive comes into force.

There is still hope that the directive may not extend into the exam period, in three weeks' time, as both the teachers' union and the Education Ministry seem to be willing to continue discussing the union's proposed increases in teachers' allowances - the reason behind the long-drawn dispute.

"God willing we won't reach the point where exams will be affected by the industrial action," Malta Union of Teachers president John Bencini said yesterday, adding that the union had not heard anything from the government since the action was declared on Tuesday.

However, a ministry spokesman said the government too was open to a resumption of meetings. "We are always willing to discuss," he said.

Meanwhile, today teachers have been instructed to stick to minimum duties according to their job description that include teaching, correcting work, filling in attendance registers and supervision during break time.

All other activities, such as subject meetings, curriculum development sessions, school outings, extra-curricular activities, preparations for school functions and clerical work that includes filling in result sheets, are to stop.

Mr Bencini said the directives apply to both government and Church schools since the union's proposal document, which deals with increased allowances, affects both. The government has an agreement with the Church to pay its teachers' salaries.

The dispute between the MUT and the government broke out in April when the union insisted that government comes up with counter proposals to draft amendments to the education reform signed in June 2007.

The draft amendments, presented to the government in January, primarily deal with an increase in teachers' allowances and were the source of industrial action when the union ordered a one-day strike in state schools in April.

A work-to-rule directive was meant to come into force on May 4, but was suspended a few days earlier after the two sides agreed to discuss the reform amendments.

However the union was not satisfied with the outcome of a meeting with government held last Monday. The government asked the union to wait six months for a comparative study across the public service to be carried out before a decision is made on its claim for higher allowances.

However, the government refused to negotiate an interim agreement pending the six-month lapse, Mr Bencini said, adding he agreed with the concept of alignment among professions.

The union therefore reactivated its work-to-rule directive.