Updated - See MUT reaction below - The Malta Employers’ Association has urged Government not to give in to pressure by the MUT to employ additional Learning Support Assistants (LSAs).

The Association said that the number of LSAs in schools had mushroomed 'beyond control' over the years and the criteria for increasing this number should be based on whether there is actually a need for more LSAs, and whether they are affordable given the state of public finances.

"If the supply of qualified LSAs exceeds the demand, then we should simply stop producing them. This is the reason why the Association is proposing setting up an employability index for courses, as obtaining a qualification is not an automatic right to a related job," it said.

The Association expressed its concern that public sector employment is again on the increase, and said that it would be next to impossible to reach fiscal targets unless government payroll is kept in check. The MEA said that although it might be inevitable to boost manpower in areas where human resources are short of requirements, government should re-allocate its labour force to increase efficiencies, rather than resorting to additional recruitment.

MEA said it also disagreed with the MUT’s 'intransigent stand' on school hours.

"The statement made by the Minister of Finance to consider different options to extend school hours is reasonable as there is a growing need for longer school hours to respond to changing requirements of families and also the educational needs of children. The Association agrees that all efforts should be made to leave teachers’ hours unaffected, but the purely sectoral interests of the union should not be a stumbling block which works against the interests of the rest of society."

MUT REACTION

In its reaction, the Malta Union of Teachers said LSAs who are eligible to apply for the post of LSA1 are already in employment with the government, but on a supply basis rather than regular. Thus the government would not be employing more LSAs as MEA put it, but rather it would give the rightful working conditions to employees who have studied to specialise in aiding children with special needs.

It said teaching grades’ conditions are determined by agreements to which both employers and the union are signatory.

"Professionals in the education stream are not baby sitters who are employed to take care of children while their parents stay away from home."

The Union pointed out that it already has an agreement in place with the government on how to cater for the needs of working parents and during the past years the government had offered various options such as Klabb 3-16.

"It is employers who should shoulder responsibility for employability of more persons and provide basic services such as child minding to their workers, rather than expect the government to do everything for free for their own benefit.
Thus, the MUT, cannot fathom how the MEA could possibly waddle into such issues over which it shows clearly that it has absolutely no understanding," the union charged.