Updated with UĦM, PN, Allied Health Care Workers' Union statements
The Malta Union of Teachers is planning to go ahead with a strike on Monday, refusing to give in to the government's demand that it suspend its directives for negotiations to proceed.
Church schools have urged parents to keep their children at home on the day and the government has said it is planning to have supervisors in schools to keep an eye on children.
Meanwhile, a rival union, the Union of Professional Educators, has softened its stance about the MUT plan and told its members they are free to join the strike if they wish to.
On Friday, the MUT said it had no intention of caving in to the Education Minister's demand to suspend ongoing directives.
“Whilst the MUT shall remain open to any communication with the government towards improved financials and conditions of work of educators, it is reaffirming the position on the ongoing trade dispute… Therefore, the MUT directives shall proceed and the one-day strike for educators in State Schools and Church Schools shall be held on Monday 27 November as planned,” the union said.
It added that the differences between what the government is proposing and what the MUT are expecting were “considerable”.
Schools will be offering basic supervision services to children on Monday as the teachers go on a nationwide strike. 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 be taking place on the day of the strike.
School transport will also not be operational.
The strike is part of a set of directives that include not carrying out class assessments, refraining from meeting parents and not submitting attendance sheets.
Students who do not attend school on Monday will be excused while teachers who fail to report to work will not be paid.
Resource centres, learning support centres, Gem 16+ and the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School will remain closed.
Minister: Stop directives before negotiations continue
On Thursday, Education Minister Clifton Grima said the government will no longer negotiate with the union while the directives are in place. Since the MUT announced its directives, the union and the government met several times but could not hammer out an agreement.
“After a number of attempts, negotiations will continue, and we are open to continued negotiations, but only after the directives are withdrawn,” he said.
Prime Minister Robert Abela also weighed in on the matter, saying the government could not negotiate with an axe over its head.
The prime minister insisted that the government proposed “substantial increases” in teachers' salaries and work conditions. Abela said the ongoing directives by the MUT go against the spirit of good faith in collective bargaining.
UPE tells members they are free to join strike
Meanwhile, the MUT’s rival education union, the Union of Professional Educators, has told its members they were free to join their colleagues on the strike on Monday, promising to protect them if they opted to do so.
In a communication sent to members, the union said it strongly believed in workers’ fundamental right to freedom of association with the union of their choice for the protection of their interests.
“All workers, including educators, have every right to follow industrial directives or to go on strike as well as to choose not to follow them. UPE believes that no worker should face consequences whether they strike or not,” it said.
“Although the UPE cannot support a strike called by another union because it does not have information on the issues that the other union has with the government, the UPE will still be protecting the educators who freely exercise their rights,” it added, promising to support its members whether they strike or not.
The UPE also issued guidelines to ensure that its members who opted not to strike are not burdened with extra work and ensure that none of its members are assigned extra responsibilities.
UPE members are required to adhere to their assigned timetables and should not take on additional workloads or cover for other staff members who are participating in any industrial action. They should also refuse any changes to their work schedule.
Parents should not be penalised for tardiness caused by cancellation of transport - unions
In reaction on Friday, the UĦM Voice of the Workers and the Allied Health Care Workers' Union said that should the lack of school transport on Monday cause parents to be late for work, they should not be penalised.
The unions said it would not accept working parents being disciplined or suffering a financial loss should they need to transport their children to school themselves as a result.
Should this occur, the UĦM said, they will order industrial action if working parents suffer the consequences of this decision.
PN calls on government to publish disputed pay rise
In a statement on Friday, the Nationalist Party said it was disappointed that the government had resorted to threatening the union rather than continuing to work towards a resolution to the dispute.
If the government is confident in the financial package it is offering educators, then it should immediately publish the increases it is proposing, the PN added.
“If the government remains silent then it confirms that it is not comfortable revealing how much it is offering educators,” they said.
They called on the government to rescind its ‘threats’ to the MUT and resume negotiating so that teachers can earn the wages they deserve. This would also prevent children from being deprived of the education they deserve, the PN said.
It thanked the MUT for continuing to fight for fair pay and conditions for educators.