MUT deplores austerity measures

The Malta Union of Teachers said it appreciated the government's determination to control tax evasion but deplored the measure that will not allow workers to take days off in lieu of public holidays falling on weekends.

This austerity measure was introduced without agreement with the workers' representatives in the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, it said.

The MUT noted the increase in the cost of public transport and that of electricity and said that these would continue to make life difficult for workers. The union views these measures as counter productive because they would tend to lower the workers' spending power.

The union said the workers' representatives had been harping for a long time on the need for the government to control public expenditure. Had this been done there would not have been the need to resort to drastic actions such as those announced in the budget.

The Lm13 million increase in the education vote augured well for an improvement in the quality of education. The Lm2 million increase in the university vote would also help to tackle the enormous financial problems which the institution was facing.

But it appeared that despite the MUT's serious preoccupations, the government intended to continue with its own plan for school reforms. If these reforms were on the lines which the MUT had spoken about recently, they would cost thousands of liri but would not produce the desired effect.

The MUT said it hoped and expected the Education Ministry to embark on serious discussions and negotiations over the reforms.

The union praised measures introduced to assist parents of children with special needs.

It was a pity, however, that the budget, which was trying to lift the country out of its serious difficulties, was marred by austerity measures that negatively affected the workers in general, the MUT said.