The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) has been informed by senior officials at the Ministry that progress on the sectoral agreement is currently at a standstill. Further details regarding the reasons for the alleged pause in these meetings will be announced later on this portal.
This halt in negotiations follows the disastrous failure of the MUT to negotiate adequate increases that reflect the rise in the cost of living (inflation) and humane working conditions.
Recently, the Ministry of Education bypassed the MUT and sent letters to all educators detailing how they would benefit from this sectoral agreement. It appears that the Government also added an additional allowance for those teachers with over 20 years of experience, allegedly without the MUT’s knowledge. This increase happened after the UPE communicated with Ministry officials, highlighting that this particular category of workers was dissatisfied and required attention.
MUT council meetings have reportedly been quite animated due to numerous unresolved complaints. It should be noted that during a Q&A session, the MUT clearly stated that the financial package cannot be revisited. This has raised suspicions as to why a vote will be called if everything has already been agreed upon.
3rd June 2024 – MUT Sources “It-tibdil hu limitat u ma jistax jinbidel il-qafas tal-ftehim, speċjalment l-aspett finanzjarju, li għall-gvern hu wieħed finali.”
Where does this situation leave us educators?
Limbo (lɪmbəʊ -NOUN) is an uncertain situation that you cannot control and in which there is no progress or improvement.
This term precisely describes the current state of affair, due to the incompetence of certain individuals. One is being denied adequate salary increases and improvements in working conditions. It should also be noted that it is highly likely that the various reforms (LOF’s, SBA’s and Emergent Curriciulium) introduced over the past five years will not be discussed, leaving educators overwhelmed and with many unresolved issues. Additionally, there is a strong possibility that further reforms will be introduced within the next five years as happened in the past.
Various questions remain, particularly regarding the contents of the written text. The Government is withholding specific details concerning the job descriptions of educators, standard operating procedures, and other policies that might impact the daily work of educators in general.
For this reason, we are once again reaching out to the Ministry of Education to publish a draft agreement containing all the aforementioned details so that all educators can understand what is being discussed.
As the model employer, the Government should be in a position to inform its workers about the expected working conditions in the coming months upon signing this agreement. Only in this way can the Government ensure full transparency.
