Education Minister Clifton Grima would not give a timeframe as to when it is expected that discussions on a collective agreement with the Malta Union of Teachers will conclude.

“I am not on my own” around the negotiation table, he told journalists on Tuesday.

He said that discussions are continuing and progress has been made, but there is no indication as to when they will be concluded.

The MUT last month held a one-day strike in a bit to exert more pressure on the government as it seeks an agreement on a new financial package.

The union has ordered a string of industrial action directives which culminated in the strike, and which were withdraws for the two parties to continue their discussions.

On Tuesday, Grima said that the two sides had continued to exchange their views on the delicate issues, with the government insisting that any agreement must be in line with others and also sustainable.

Both sides have the future of the education sector as their priority, he said. Proposals and counter-proposals have been exchanged, and they have evolved over time, he added.