The participation in the teachers' strike is 'overwhelming', with the majority of educators participating, the Malta Union of Teachers said in a statement.

Educators in state and Church schools across the country are not reporting for work today as part of a strike directive issued by the Malta Union of Teachers. The MUT announced a string of directives which will culminate in a one-day strike today as negotiations between them and the government over a new collective agreement stalled.

"Initial data indicates a participation up to 97%. The effect of the strike could be visibly seen also during school opening times in the morning, since school entrances were seen empty and without the presence of educators and students," the union said.

"The one-day strike has been called by MUT due to the failure of negotiations with the government on the financial package of educators," it said.

In the first comment about the strike, MUT President, officals and Council thanked educators for this "manifestation of support towards the common good. Today's support shows that educators are united alongside MUT, the sole union that represents them and are ready to go all the way to obtain the deserved status and esteem. The way forward is clear. The MUT has always said that it is ready to discuss the situation with the government and it remains open to such discussions."

In an article published on The Malta Independent on Sunday, MUT President Marco Bonnici explained that one of the motives behind the action was the sharp rise in the number of students teachers have to deal with, mostly the children of foreign workers who moved to Malta in the last few years. “The number of engaged educators could not grow at the same rate of the influx and hence educators started struggling to keep up with increased demands,” Bonnici wrote.

“The language and cultural barriers impacted the educational process significantly and all the teaching material which catered solely for Maltesespeaking students had to be scrapped and redone by educators," he had said.

The government has, in the meantime, drawn up a contingency plan to deal with the strike.

In a press conference on Friday, Education Minister Clifton Grima said that the government is ready to continue negotiations, but will only do so if and when the MUT withdraws its directives – an assertion repeated by the Prime Minister on Sunday. He said that on the day of the strike, schools will only be offering supervision services, and any children who do not attend will be marked as excused. The Breakfast Club and Klabb 3-16 was not offered today, which means that parents had to take their children to school just before they open and will have to collect them as soon as school hours are over. The school transport system will not be operating today either.