Updated 12.30pm with minister's response

The teachers’ union has publicly called out the Education Minister for lying about wage increases promised to teachers.

In a statement on Saturday, the Malta Union of Teachers said Clifton Grima’s talk about teachers getting a €10,000 raise and new teachers starting on a €36,000 salary “are nowhere to be found in government's financial proposals to MUT”.

Grima was quoted as providing those figures in an article published on Labour media platform ONE, which called on the MUT to give its members a true picture of what is on the negotiating table.

The union and government have been locked in negotiations over a new collective agreement for teachers for several months. This week, the MUT said that negotiations appeared to be going nowhere and gave the minister until May 24 to wrap up the deal.

On Saturday, the union released a screenshot it said showed the government’s most recent offer to teachers, dated May 10.

The extract published by MUT.

The screenshot indicates that the government was proposing that new teachers (salary scale 9) get a €6,000 yearly increase. However, the MUT said, existing allowances of €3,000 a year must be deducted from that.

“The government’s proposal means a new teacher would today get an increase of €3,000 a year,” the MUT said. “Where is the €10,000 increase? Where is the €36,000 starting salary for teachers?”

“It is evident that rather than finding solutions to conclude the sectoral agreement, the government is trying to save face against all odds by attempting to discredit MUT. MUT and its members shall not be intimidated and have experienced similar tactics in the past. The Union shall keep on fighting for the factual recognition of the work of educators,” it said in a statement

Minister: Tell the truth or we will publish all

Minister Grima hit back with a public statement of his own, in which he reiterated that new teachers would start off with a €36,000 salary.

"And that's just one increase, for one category of teacher. There are many more... I urge MUT to provide full and factual information to its members. The union made no reference to the last two meetings held this very week."

Grima said that if the union continued to spread "selective information", the government would publish negotiations - which have so far been kept strictly confidential - in full. 

"Then people will be able to see the true facts for themselves," the minister said.