The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses is planning to call industrial action next week after talks with the government failed.

In an update to its members, the MUMN said that an urgent council meeting will be held next week when “the directives would be discussed and decided and will be issued to all nursing and midwifery grades”.

MUMN said it any “intimidation or strike breakers are to be reported to MUMN and will be treated with strict confidence”.

In the update, the MUMN said that on 2 March it was presented with the government’s counter proposals to the union’s 37-page document on the nurses’ and midwives’ sectorial agreement.

The MUMN told its members it was hoping that the government “would be on board and understand the duress the nurses and midwives are facing on a daily basis”. Nurses and Midwives attend to their patients and at the same time are also responsible for the running of their wards, of their departments and of their hospital, depending on their grade, the union said.

The MUMN said it expected that the nursing and midwifery agreement would be considered an important document by the central government to acknowledge the huge shortage of nurses and midwives present in every place of work.

“But MUMN was wrong,” the union added, with the government replying with a 2-page document which “was a complete shock”. MUMN said it had anticipated that allowances would have to be negotiated but the union "never expected" that a two-page document be presented with most allowances not even being considered.

The union said that after the nurses and midwives risked their lives during the pandemic, “they were humiliated by such approach and shows clearly that the road ahead to obtain a decent sectorial agreement is going to be a long road”. No appreciation was considered and it shows clearly that the nurses’ and midwives’ dedication to "our patients during the pandemic had no effect at all on the central government".

The government, through the Directorate of Nursing, even had the "cheek to re-introduce" the appraisal system to the managerial structure of the nurses and midwives when all other health professionals have no appraisal report in any of their allowances in their sectorial agreement, the union said. “This shows clearly that the Directorate of Nursing is working against the interest of our two professions,” the MUMN added.

“Our hopes of concluding a nursing and midwifery sectorial agreement without resorting to industrial actions, so as not to cause hardship for the patients, were completely shattered,” the union said.

MUMN said it was informed that nurses and midwives were "lucky enough" to have a sectorial agreement and that the government has no extra financial resources for the nurses or the midwives. It is clear, the MUMN said, that nurses and midwives are not a priority to the country.

MUMN said it has has no other option but to declare a dispute and issue directives across the whole health and elderly sector. Every nursing and midwifery grade from Chief Nursing/Midwifery Manager, Senior Nursing/Midwifery Manager, Charge Nurses/Midwives, Advanced Practice Nurses, Senior Practice Nurses/ Midwives, Practice Nurses/Midwives, Senior Staff Nurses/Midwife to Nurses & Midwives, have all to be actively involved in the industrial actions which will be taking place next week, the union said.

Even top Nursing/Midwifery grades will have to participate in the industrial actions which are bound to take place since, at the end of the day, all Nurses and Midwives expect their rightfully share from the sectorial agreement, the union said.

MUMN said it will be keeping a vigilant eye since any grade who will be acting as a strike breaker or remaining selfishly impassive gives a clear signal that there is no interest in the sectorial agreements and would therefore be excluded from it.