The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) has issued directives to their members to follow as from Friday. UPE has ordered these directives due to their concern over the mistreatment adopted by the Department of Education with Educators.

The executive head of UPE, Graham Sansone, highlighted that the Ministry of Education and Employment is taking advantage of educators on a number of issues. "The Ministry fails to pay educators for overtime and it is shocking to see our educators currently working one and a half hours overtime and getting paid for just one hour by the Ministry," said Sansone.

Sansone was speaking about educators who have taken up transport duties and are being exploited by being paid one hour less than they have worked. He said that these educators are working one and a half hours on transport supervisions before school and after school hours, which sums up to three hours of overtime a day, which the Ministry is paying them for two hours of work. "The Ministry is failing to pay for twenty hours of overtime on every monthly salary of each of the Educators involved in the task."

 

Salary injustice for certain LSEs

Sansone highlights that another problem and concern of the union was the "injustice with regards to the salaries of certain LSEs." He said that certain LSEs were being paid rates that were less than those who have been in the job less. "This injustice cost these LSEs a two-year long reduction in pay, this money, is owed to the LSEs and their families is being retained by the Department of Education."

Another issue which the Minister "shrugs off" is the issue that the education authorities of refusing to provide details on the teachers to student ratio. He said that not only was the government not providing educators this information, but when the union asked for the document, the Department said it was an internal one which could not be shared.

As from Friday, LSE's, KGE's and teachers, are not to attend or carry out any work on any individual education programme (IPE), not to work on any adaptations of work for students with special needs and to not carry out or document observations in schools.

Sansone said that the directives will only be lifted once the issues are addressed by the Education Ministry. He also highlighted that come Monday, additional directives on school transport will be announced. "When we spoke to the Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri, he seems to not understand the severity of the problems."