The Ministry for Education and Employment said that Union of Professional Educators is not a recognised trade union for educators within the state sector.

Therefore, UPE is in breach of article 5 of the Recognition of Trade Union Regulations 2016 when it issues directives of a collective nature as it has done, the ministry said.

Article 5 states very clearly that, “once a union is recognised as the sole collective bargaining union, no other union may intervene on a collective matter related to the employees concerned with the employer”. The same clause also precludes the employer from discussing any collective issues with any other union except the recognised one. 

In this sense, the Ministry for Education and Employment is committed to ensuring the best working conditions for its employees and will continue its continuous dialogue and communication with the recognised trade union in this sector as it has always done. 

 

The Ministry for Education and Employment also calls on UPE to respect the law by immediately withdrawing the illegal directives it has issued to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary issues for educators in schools. 

The Union of Professional Educators has issued two sets of directives targeting state schools.