The Malta Union of Teachers has filed an application for a warrant of prohibitory injunction against the Union of Professional Educators in an attempt to stop the latter in its “irresponsible, abusive and vexatious behaviour”.

Following a judicial protest filed by the MUT earlier this month against the UPE, the latter had persisted in issuing directives to members of the teaching profession without it being officially recognised by the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations, Education Department, the Commission for Education of the Maltese Episcopal Conference, the Secretariat for Catholic Education and entities responsible for private schools.

Such directives were not only in breach of law, given that the UPE lacked official recognition in terms of law, but were furthermore, a source of “unnecessary tension and confusion for educators” called upon to follow the Union’s “abusive and irresponsible directives,” said the application.

Lacking the status of an officially recognised union, the UPE had no right to intervene collectively on behalf of members of the teaching profession, the applicants argued, pointing out further that the UPE was “clearly and manifestly” disrupting any negotiations ongoing between the MUT and the relative authorities. 

Unless the UPE was prohibited from pursuing this course of action, the MUT would suffer prejudice, the applicants concluded. 

In a decree handed down later in the day, the First Hall, Civil Court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon, provisionally upheld the MUT’s application and appointed the case for hearing next week.

Meanwhile, in comments to Times of Malta, Marco Bonnici, President of MUT, who was one of the applicants on behalf of the Union, explained the current situation.

The UPE, representing some 500 members, in comparison to the 10,000 members on the MUT records, had been issuing directives “often taken lock, stock and barrel from those issued by the MUT or slightly tweaked, causing confusion amongst educators,” Mr Bonnici said, insisting that such behaviour “had to stop”.

Lawyer Michael Tanti-Dougall signed the application.