The Union of Professional Educators has denounced the Education Ministry's “unprofessional and unethical manner” when it published a press release announcing a judicial letter filed against the union, which letter the union has still not been served.

The UPE was reacting to a public statement issued by the ministry on Thursday, announcing the judicial letter filed before the civil courts, against directives issued by the union which, according to the ministry, ran counter to an agreement it had signed with the Malta Union of Teachers. 

Yet, in Friday’s press release, the UPE stressed that it was still in the dark about the details of that “umpteenth” agreement signed in January, a summary of which had been published in a press release. 

Repeated requests by the UPE to be granted access to the full agreement have been ignored, the union claimed, saying it had been “utterly shocked” upon learning, once again through media reports, about the judicial letter the ministry had filed against it. 

While discussions about union directives were still ongoing, its members were bombarded with a barrage of emails from the permanent secretary at the ministry, at a time when UPE officials and legal representatives were engaged elsewhere, in an attempt to “intimidate them into submission”, the union said.

Stating it would not allow its members to be “brought down to their knees,” it confirmed its directives were to remain in place until further notice. 

Neither the union nor the ministry have said what the directives are.

The union also declared that it would continue to defend its members “at all costs”, prioritising their health and safety and rebutting insinuations that it was obstructing the educational process. 

In Thursday’s statement, the ministry said that the agreement reached with the MUT safeguarded children’s education.

“The ministry persists in its appeal for teaching to take place in schools and that this might not be hindered by actions which, given the circumstances, serve no good,” it said.