Physiotherapists will take industrial action on Monday if they do not hear back from the government by the end of this week, the Times of Malta is informed.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has registered an industrial dispute after the failure to start discussions over a new sectoral agreement for Allied Health Professions, physiotherapists said.

The sectoral agreement concerns their pay, continuous professional development and conditions of work.

Widespread industrial action is also being taken by the doctors' union, MAM, over the VGH-Steward hospitals deal.

The dispute, registered for physiotherapists employed by the public service, Vitals Global Healthcare and the Foundation for Medical Services, will turn into directives next week if by Friday the union is not given a date to start negotiations.

The action will be spread across Mater Dei Hospital, the Gozo General Hospital, Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital, the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre, St Vincent de Paul Residence, the Child Development Assessment Unit, health centres and the Commcare unit.

The industrial dispute came after the failure to start discussions over a new sectoral agreement

The action will include no participation in ward rounds, multidisciplinary team meetings or outpatient classes at Mater Dei Hospital, and no answering of pagers or e-mails at the Accident and Emergency Department.

At the Gozo General Hospital, Karin Grech and health centres, staff will not see new patients or give any discharge reports. Physiotherapists will not see new patients at SVPR or visit respite homes, and will stop seeing long-term cases at the CDAU and attending schools, among other restrictions.

News of the physiotherapists’ industrial action comes just as social workers employed by the Education Ministry kicked off industrial action on Monday after they did not hear back about their professional development.

The MUMN registered the dispute after its calls on the government to provide a CPD allowance for the social workers were ignored.

The industrial action – including not attending home visits, tribunal sittings and school visits, among other tasks – coincided with the escalation of industrial action by Foundation for Social Welfare Service employees pending an agreement over their pay.

In the case of the FSWS employees, represented by the UĦM Voice of the Workers, action has entered its fourth week.

When it comes to public service social workers, as with those employed by the health and education sectors, they are represented by the MUMN.

The union reached an agreement with the government over the CPD allowance for the social workers whom it represents across different sectors last year.

However, the allowance earmarked specifically for those who were employed by the Education Ministry was ‘parked’ pending talks over the teachers’ conditions.

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