The Malta Union of Teachers has postponed a vote which was to be taken among its members on a new collective agreement that it had reached with the government last week.
After months of negotiations, which included a one day strike, the government and the union said that they had come to terms last Friday, pending approval from the members.
But the feedback the MUT is receiving after a presentation it made yesterday was not positive.
This morning, The Malta Independent reported that tachers will not be getting any increase to their basic pay as they remain on the same pay scale, but will instead see their income increase through the improvement of allowances that they receive during the year.
In a statement on Friday, the union said its council unanimously agreed to postpone the voting process.
It said the decision was taken because the MUT was not satisfied with the "final written reply" that the government sent, which the union said did not address the complaints raised by sections of the educators after yesterday's meeting.
The MUT said that it always believed that every educator who felt aggrieved should be listened to, and this is what pushed the MUT to postpone the vote.
This did not mean that the union will stop receiving feedback and explain the benefits of the agreement. The union said it will be doing so to be able to clear up any inaccuracies and untrue information being given.
The MUT said that this postponement will allow for more time to hold meetings with the government and the members to address all pending issues, which would then lead to the vote among members.
In a counter statement, the Education Ministry appealed for a discussion on the "facts laid on the table" and which were discussed with the union. The ministry said it looked forward to see that educators who will be affected by the agreement are given a clear picture on what the agreement is offering them, once it is signed.
In spite of the joint statement last week, the government understood that the union needed ulterior explanations. The government believes that dialogue could lead to solutions.
The government believes the agreement offered a financial package that improves the educators' income through "substantial increases and improvement of working conditions".
According to a presentation given to teachers on Thursday, seen by The Malta Independent, the proposed new collective agreement does not envision any increases to a teacher’s basic pay as it will remain pegged to the same government salary scale as today, but instead bases itself on increases to allowances that teachers receive.
Educators all receive a Class Allowance with every pay slip, and a Work Resources Allowance every three months. The proposal sees the cumulative total for these allowances double in the short-term, and more than triple by 2027, when the collective agreement would be up for re-negotiation.
The Malta Independent is informed that many educators may have come away from the meeting with a bitter taste in their mouths as they did not like the proposals on which an agreement had been reached.