Prime Minister Robert Abela said Thursday that government has proposed a set of "strong" proposals as well as "unprecedented" increases for teachers in the ongoing discussions with the Malta Union of Teachers over a collective agreement.

Abela told journalists that discussions with the MUT were "productive" and that government has put a set of strong proposals on the table, which were never before given to teachers.

"The unprecedented increases government has put on the negotiation table have never been proposed to teachers before," Abela said.

He said that he felt satisfied with the cordial discussions government is having with the union, and that he has faith that in the coming days, an agreement will be reached.

Abela said that through the agreement, teachers will be able to receive all they deserve, including to be paid in arrears.

Speculations over a potential industrial action being organised for teachers at government and Church schools came after the discussions between the MUT and the Industrial Relations Unit had stalled, as the union wrote to its members last week that it did not trust the Industrial Relations Unit, which it said was not committed to concluding MUT agreements in a timely manner.

The MUT had issued an ultimatum to the government of one week to seek a resolution to the current situation, that would lead to a satisfactory agreement. The ultimatum expires on Friday 24 May 2024.

The situation had escalated late last year, when a deadlock in discussions had pushed the MUT to order a one-day strike. Since then, the parties appeared to be slowly edging towards an agreement, but now matters have gone awry again.