In its reluctance to provide educators with better working conditions and pay, the government is being greedy with the nation's children, Bernard Grech told party supporters in Senglea on Sunday ahead of a nationwide strike.

"When the government is greedy with educators, it is being greedy with our children, our future leaders and the economic development of our country.

"The government is not looking ahead and continues to be stubborn with educators," Grech said.

The strike, planned at state and Church schools, for Monday, is part of directives educators are following that include not carrying out class assessments, refraining from meeting parents and not submitting attendance sheets.

According to the Malta Union of Teachers, the differences between the proposed pay package by the government and what the union is expecting were “considerable”. 

Since the MUT announced its directives, the union and the government met several times but the government has now said it will no longer negotiate with the union while the directives are in place.

Ancillary staff and educators who report to work on Monday will be supervising children during regular school hours, but extracurricular activities, such as Breakfast Club and Club 3-16 will not take place. School transport will also not be operational.

On Sunday, Grech, whose wife AnneMarie is a teacher, said educators should not only be celebrated but also understood. 

He said the wage of more than 70% of educators was between €18,000 and €24,000 and, unlike others, educators were not paid for their overtime.

“When our educators talk about the need for better conditions and pay, we need to understand that while they do overtime, and further studying, they are not paid extra. Other workers who earn between 18k and 24k can improve their pay with overtime to earn more. Educators cannot.

“And while it is true that on paper they have two months of summer recess, we often forget that they cannot take leave whenever they want during the rest of the year. We also forget that they can go abroad on vacation only during the high season.”

Grech pledged to be an “advocate” for educators, whom the government had been taking for a ride for a decade.

“We often hear of educators who leave the profession while the financial package and work conditions are no longer attractive for prospective educators,” Grech said, calling for “adequate attention to our most important resource: our children” through investment in educators.

In his address, Grech also paid tribute to Ronald Sultana, one of Malta’s eminent voices in the field of sociology who died this week aged 65.

Justice system delays

Grech referred to delays within the justice system, marking one year from the murder of Bernice Cassar. 

The mother-of-two was shot and killed in November last year. Her estranged husband has been charged with the femicide and is pleading not guilty.

The victim had filed multiple police reports against her ex-husband before she was killed.

Court has been told Bernice was carrying a file full of documents related to her case when she was shot dead.

According to official figures, there are 2,283 domestic violence cases pending before the two magistrates assigned to handle domestic violence cases.

On Wednesday, Robert Abela apologised on behalf of the state for “systematic shortcomings” towards Bernice and her family. 

But on Sunday Grech said an apology was not enough.

The state needed to take concrete action that went beyond appointing magistrates to hear cases of domestic violence, he said, adding that the government did not have the will to address such shortcomings. 

Grech referred to a letter from an alleged victim of domestic violence who sought the Opposition leader's help.

According to court documents, the alleged victim's case will start to be heard in February 2025 - more than 18 months after the alleged crime took place. 

He urged the government not to abandon such people and invest in the system, including court staff and infrastructure.