The Nationalist Party said Thursday the government’s email to teachers to explain the agreement it supposedly reached with the Malta Union of Teachers exposes that it (the government) has its back to the wall.

The PN was making reference to the email, sent on Wednesday to teachers, in schools at scales 7,8,9 to inform them of the potentially serious increases that they will receive if the sectoral agreement if approved by the members of the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT).

It said that this evidently shows that the government finds its back against the wall, since it didn’t manage to close the agreement in a clear way before the 8 June elections, as planned.

Furthermore, it added the email sent is nothing but an attempt to impose an agreement an agreement on the Union whilst totally ignoring the process of social dialogue.

The PN said that, in this context, it makes it clear that the government has not reached any agreement with the MUT and that the email sent yesterday contains information which was not voted on or approved by the MUT. It said that the PN affirms that the government and MUT still disagree on the allowance of €1,800 for the those in Scale 7. It added that the government is not being transparent enough regarding the allowance and the progression whilst presenting facts that misguide the teachers.  

The PN emphasised that the concluded agreement presented by the government is not really concluded as it is the members of the MUT who must vote on it. It said that the government’s attitude is an imposition of a government that is on a wild vote-catching campaign, so much so, that it is trying to buy over the teachers with a one-off bonus of €1,000 for the sake of the upcoming elections.   

It is because it believes in the teachers that the PN refrained from applying any pressure, through the media, regarding the agreement, the PN said. The party said it has faith that they and MUT will decide their own future. The PN said it is committed towards teachers and educators so that all of them are respected and given conditions and salaries better than those the government is putting forward with concrete solutions that work long-term.