Government has "invited" the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) to immediately suspend industrial directives that have long impacted students' lives, so that discussions and negotiations on workers' conditions can resume without delay.

In a statement issued by the Education Ministry, government said that students should never become victims of industrial disputes. In reply, the MUT said the government is responsible for the failure in negotiations and the delay in concluding the agreement, three years after it expired.

In its statement, the government said that "in the education sector, every process and negotiation should always prioritize student life as a central point, present in all forms of discussions, without compromising workers' rights."

It said that following eight weeks of negotiations led by the Permanent Secretary within the Office of the Prime Minister and the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for Education, alongside the CEO of the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST), with the assistance of the Industrial Relations Unit, the MUT was requested to withdraw actions that specifically affected the students' educational journey.

It said that every student has the right to live a serene life while receiving a quality education.

Government said that the administration also communicated a number of principles and conditions that must apply to negotiations across various sectors and unions, ensuring their safeguarding.

"It is worth noting that several weeks ago, the government presented a comprehensive document including financial proposals at the discussion table. These proposals reflect substantial increases, yet to date, no counterproposal has been presented," government said.

The statement continued that therefore, at this stage, the issues are not financial but rather related to demands for changes in the presence of lecturers and other staff on campus.

Despite this, government said that tangible progress has been recorded on other aspects of the negotiations, particularly regarding lecturers.

"The principles guiding the administration during these negotiations were to improve workers' conditions, as has been done with other workers, while safeguarding students' rights and the quality of education provided. The administration acted responsibly, keeping sustainability in mind," government said.

The statement said that it is important to note that throughout the negotiations, there were several requests made for the withdrawal of industrial directives that have long impacted student life.

"These requests were consistently denied, and resistance remains, as the directives are still in effect. The administration remains open to further negotiations once these directives are suspended. It once again invites the MUT to immediately suspend these directives to resume negotiations without delay," government said.

In reply, the MUT said it has been negotiating the MCAST agreement with OPM until Monday 2 December and progress was being made as reported. However and unexpectedly, yesterday at the start of the scheduled negotiations meeting which should have lasted 6 hours, the lead negotiator at OPM, Dr Joyce Cassar insisted upon recording herself using her mobile whilst making a statement. In her recorded statement she mentioned a list of the pending requests presented by MUT and she stated that the Government's reply is a categorical 'no' to all remaining proposals. At the same time she acclaimed that whilst the list she provided is not-negotiable, tomorrow's (Wednesday's) scheduled meeting shall only be held if the MUT lifts directives.

MUT said it made its position clear that whilst the Union is not ready to withdraw the requests made, it is not ready to lift directives. The Union clarifies that what the Education Ministry stated regarding the source of the dispute is completely false. It is not a matter of the presence of lecturers and other staff on the MCAST premises and it was never the case. The government did not even want to discuss with the MUT the progression structure and criteria which affects all grades in this agreement. This is surely a major pending issue amongst others.

The financial proposal presented months ago by the government was not accepted by the MUT and this was clearly communicated to the government. The Union has not yet presented its counter proposal to establish first the progress made on the text of the agreement as it would determine the ultimate financial requests. The MUT will never accept that negotiations are stalled simply through a 'no' to remaining proposals.

The MUT questions: Why has the government decided to scrap ongoing negotiations overnight and instead declare that it is rejecting all the remaining MUT proposals? Why did the lead negotiator at OPM record herself whilst saying a categorical 'no' to all remaining proposals? Who is negotiating what? Why has the government repeatedly declare that progress was being made when it suddenly decided to halt all discussions?

Since the government is not willing to negotiate it should not say repeatedly that it promotes social dialogue. The government is responsible for the failure in negotiations and the delay in concluding the agreement, three years after it expired, the MUT said.