More than 92 percent of Malta Union of Teachers’ members voted in favour of the new sectoral agreement, the union announced on Saturday afternoon.
The agreement will determine conditions for educators in state and church schools.
In a statement, MUT said that out of 2,462 members who were eligible to vote after their active registration, 92 percent approved the new sectoral agreement.
The results show that 2,108 votes tallied and 35 abstained. A total of 1,945 members voted in favour, and 163 voted against it.
“This is the conclusion of a one-and-a-half year process of negotiations with the government, which was preceded by several months of preparatory work including consultations with members,” the statement read.
Over 92 percent of MUT members approved of the new sectoral agreement. Credit: MUT website“The MUT has just communicated formally with the Minister of Education to proceed with the signing of the new Sectoral Agreement.”
Education Minister Clifton Grima posted the results on Facebook, saying the agreement offers a financial package that improves remuneration to the profession with substantial increases that exceed any increase that has ever been given before to educators.
Prime Minister Robert Abela also posted on Facebook, saying he welcomed the strong vote of the educators in favour of the agreement.
"As I said in the last few months, educators will have the best agreement they have ever had," he said.
The announcement comes after MUT and the government agreed on the second draft of the sectoral agreement last week.
The teachers’ union had already reached an agreement with the government last May, but union members expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions on offer.
That first agreement included a raft of other proposals including revised starting salaries for kindergarten teachers (KGEs) and learning support educators (LSE), quicker salary progression, a one-off payment of €1,000 and an additional allowance of €2,000 for those with more than 20 years experience, among others.
Basic salaries would have stayed the same under the proposed changes, with pay increases effected through increased allowances.
Negotiations over the agreement have been ongoing for months and reached a boiling point in November when a one-day strike was held.
Matters also came to a head in spring when MUT said it was considering resorting to industrial action again.