Church School Employees Must Have the Same Conditions as State School Employees Due to the Agreement Between the Holy See and the Republic of Malta on Church Schools  

While others are busy with a copy-and-paste exercise, the UPE would like to advise its members in Church Schools across Malta and Gozo that, despite any agreement, their working conditions will remain on par with their counterparts in State Schools.  

If someone is trying to give the impression that salaries will be changed as a result of this so-called ‘Agreement,’ they are clearly misleading you as a Church School Educator.  

You should be informed that there is an agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Malta regarding Catholic schools, specifically the Conventio inter Apostolicam Sedem et Rem Publicam Melitensem de Scholis Catholicis, which was signed on November 28, 1991.  

The agreement emphasizes parity between Church school educators and their counterparts in state schools, but the focus of Article 6 is specifically on remuneration (salary and financial compensation). 

Key Points from the 1991 Concordat (Malta-Holy See Agreement):

Article 6 explicitly states that the Maltese State and the Church share responsibility for ensuring that staff in Catholic schools receive remuneration equivalent to that of educators in state schools. This includes salaries and financial benefits tied to their roles.  

Article 9 explicitly guarantees parity in non-salary “facilities” for Church school educators compared to their state school counterparts.  

In essence, not much is being negotiated, as the above provisions already ring-fence and protect educators in Church Schools.  

Furthermore, the Secretariat of Catholic Education has taken significant steps toward enhancing the operational framework for Church Schools. In September 2023, they issued the “Church Schools Sector Human Resources Manual of Procedures,” which introduces additional regulatory clauses that were not part of the previous agreement.  

Therefore, with or without this copy-and-paste exercise, educators will continue to be paid accordingly (as they have always been) and will be entitled to the same levels of progression.