There is no need to reinvent the wheel to put in place an insurance scheme for educators, the Malta Union of Teachers has told the government, adding there was no reason why such a measure should require “substantial time”.
The statement was made in the wake of an official request filed by the union for all teachers to be covered by insurance, after it was announced earlier on in the week that members of the disciplined forces will be included under a new occupational insurance scheme.
While questions to the Education Ministry by the Times of Malta remained unanswered, MUT president Marco Bonnici confirmed that the government had replied to the union’s request, stating that it would be “considered”.
However, the union head added, the government warned that the announced scheme had taken a “substantial amount of time to develop and put in place”.
“The MUT thanks the minister for his reply. However, the MUT is positive that, since one does not need to reinvent the wheel, if the authorities are really interested in a scheme of this nature, there is no reason it should take a substantial amount of time.
There is no reason it should take a substantial amount of time
In fact, the text of the announced scheme would be a good place to start,” Mr Bonnici told the Times of Malta.
He iterated that the union wanted to emphasise that its main priorities were still “proper security measures and the prevention” that would ensure educators were safe.
“Any additional measures, including insurance and other schemes, should never be at the expense of reduced security,” the union head went on.
On Monday, Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia announced that members of the disciplined forces would be eligible for compensation of up to €180,000 in case of death or injury while on duty, under a new occupational accident insurance scheme.
According to the MUT, in the past the government had claimed that it did not insure its workforce.
Teachers not treated like AFM or Customs - UPE
Monday’s announcement also irked the Union of Professional Educators – Voice of The Workers, who also asked why personnel at the Armed Forces and Customs were eligible for compensation for injuries at work but the same was not on offer for teachers.
“The union must express its extreme disappointment that, once again, educators have not been afforded the same consideration,” the UPE said in a statement, noting that educators have for many years “been subjected to unexpected violence in their work environment” from third party aggressors as well as students.
Safety at schools has been making headlines again this year after reports of aggressive behaviour in different localities.