Maltese Educators Denied Freedom of Association
On World Educators’ Day, we take the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our educators whilst reviewing the year in retrospect. The UPE lauds Maltese educators’ tenacity and utmost dedication to their vocation despite their low salaries and primitive working conditions. Maltese educators deserve all praise for their commitment to education. The UPE knows first hand that local educators always go the extra mile to assist their students. Unfortunately, the work of educators does not go tangibly rewarded and they have remained stuck with empty promises, a poor collective agreement and restrictions to their fundamental rights.
Apart from miserable conditions of work, educators in Malta also have to contend with with an anti-democratic system which locks them in contrived industrial groupings against their will so as to circumvent them from being represented by the union of their choice. During the current year, the vast majority of LSEs joined the UPE but were denied the right to be represented by it. The Directorate for Educational Services with the concurrence of the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations objected to the verification process leading to recognition. Worse still, the Industrial Tribunal after having ascertained that the UPE had the majority of LSEs as its members, decided to enforce this blocking instead of lifting it and order continuation of the verfication proceedings as per law! Freedom of association of workers has been subverted and turned on its head, allowing employers to forge industrial groupings to eschew workers of this fundamental right. The UPE had no alternative but to file Constitutional proceedings in order to seek an effective remedy for its members who are being deprived of representation by the union of their choice.
Workers’ rights in Malta are under a serious threat and educators are no exception. Health and Safety issues in schools and educational estabishments are not given the attention they deserve. Worse still, educators resorting to union protection regarding such concerns may find themselves subject to disciplinary proceedings. In a shameful first for our country, two exemplary ITS lecturers were dismissed from work simply for following union directives. The ITS Board of Appeal resigned over serious disagreement between its members on this matter. Once again, the UPE had to resort to Constitutional proceedings in order to seek effective remedies for its members.
In light of the foregoing the UPE cannot but express its utmost consternation at the authorities’ lack of regard for educators’ fundamental rights. Inspite of all the systematic and bureaucratic hurdles thrown at the UPE, the union pledges to continue all the more fighting for Maltese educators’ rights. The Maltese state as a member of both the European Union and the Council of Europe ought to treat its educators much better. The UPE will leave no stone unturned until educators in Malta get what they truly deserve. The authorities should realize that educators have human rights too. The UPE will not rest until these are respected.
