The government’s lack of political will or initiative to substantially improve conditions and salaries for State and Church school educators is disappointing, the Nationalist Party said in a statement published on Friday. Hours after the Malta Union of Teachers announced a one-day strike, the PN added that the government has “categorically confirmed” its lack of initiative.

The PN said that despite the PL’ s continuous promises, educators have made a clear affirmation that Prime Minister Robert Abela and Education Minister Clifton Grima are uninterested in bringing forward the increases in their negotiations with the Malta Union of Teachers which they had committed to prior to the general election.

The Opposition continued that it was the PL, in its electoral manifesto, which had remarked that “wages should rise when compared to the level of work and responsibility they have” and that the government would see to it that “there is a significant improvement” in educators’ wages.

The Opposition said that the government’s attitude towards educators and the union representing them in negotiations “is a clear enough admission that Labour does not give due consideration the profession” and that it does not truly want to discuss potential changes to improve the system or the working conditions nor the future of the profession. The PN added that this is evident due to the lack of an agreement following months of negotiations which has led the MUT to call for a national strike on 27 November.

Regarding the call for a national strike, the PN said that if the government truly believed in the educators, the children, and the national education system, then it would have reconciled “instead of creating a crisis and leaving the union with no choice”. In addition to the national strike, the PN said that the MUT has issued a number of directives in all State and Church schools.

The Nationalist Party concluded by saying that the Labour Party has shown itself to not be a party for the workers, “but a party that ignores their priorities and only thinks of the interests of its own pocket”. It added that in contrast, the PN remains committed to ensuring that the country has an “education of excellence”.