The Malta Union of Teachers has called a single-day strike for Monday 27 November together with further industrial action.

The industrial actions will come into effect as from Monday 13 November and are expected to be announced on Friday afternoon.

The directives – including the strike – will affect both State and Church schools.

It comes as negotiations for a new collective agreement between the MUT and the government drag on.

In the run-up to the 2022 general election, the Labour Party had promised that educators’ salaries will increase “significantly” if it were to return to power, and Education Minister Clifton Grima had as early as January this year said that the proposed wage rise was still in discussion at the time.

However now, MUT President Marco Bonnici said on Friday that the discussion for this significantly improved salary had “failed.”

“The government has clearly shown that it is not ready to give the substantial increases promised to educators before the last general election,” the MUT said.

The union said that the government had put forward two financial proposals but these were both “immediately rejected as the MUT saw that what was being proposed was going to insult educators rather than recognise their work.”

Instead of coming back with a revised proposal, a few days ago the government cancelled the scheduled meetings it had with the MUT.

“If government intends to lead the education sector with cheap labour, it will find the MUT at the forefront opposing this and looking out for the interests of educators,” it said.

The union said that educators are currently doing double the work than they did a short time ago, as a result of continuous reforms, packed classes, challenges tied to the increase in population, continuous assessment and a lack of resources among others.

“The government must choose whether to act according to the assurances it gave before and after the general elections, and to substantially improve the financial package and conditions for educators,” the MUT said, adding that if government breaks this promise, the MUT will order unprecedented industrial actions, to safeguard the work of educators.

Therefore, the MUT said that it will soon inform members in State and Church schools on the first set of directives which will come into effect on Monday 13, and a one-day strike for all educators in state and church schools on Monday, 27 November.

“The time for waiting has come to an end. All educators must raise their voices through the industrial actions, while supporting the MUT in a question which will determine the future of the education sector in our country,” Bonnici said, adding that the MUT will be doing all it can so that the educator profession is valued and receive what they deserve.

Later in the day, the MUT issued the first set of directives, which will be effective from Monday 13th November. 

The directives state that all educators are to refrain from doing work or communication related to audits/reviews and that all educators are to refrain from doing work related to international studies.

It also forbids participation in school committees. All educators are also to refrain from presenting schemes of work or planning materials. The directives also read that no external communication to be carried out through VLEs (teams, MySchool etc), and that educators are not to submit annual examination papers.

"No parents' days and meetings with parents are to be held," the directives read, and no work is to be carried out on assessment. "Educators are not to submit student attendances in any form," another directive states, and yet another tells educators not to use the communication book..

Other directives are that: Educators are not to organise and attend seminars/conferences/COPE organised by the central management (Directorates/College/Church Secretariat/IFE/agencies/entities); Educators are not to act upon all external communication received by the central management (Directorates/College/Church Secretariat/IFE/agencies/entities); No work and participation in subject meetings and meetings organised during curriculum time or non-contact time and IEP meetings.

"Industrial actions are applicable to the following grades (supply or regular) in State and Church Schools: KGEs, EOs, HODs, Teachers, LSEs, AHs, HOS, Trainers, MAV Centre Administrators, LSC Coordinators and Technicians grades."