The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and Church authorities have signed a new collective benefiting 3,200 educators working in the church schools within the Secretariat for Catholic Education (SfCE), which supports over 55 Catholic Church schools on the island.
In a press conference Friday, Director General at SfCE Ian Mifsud said that the agreement reflects and builds on sectoral agreements the MUT has reached for State educators, and thanked the union for recognising the particular needs of church schools.
Mifsud said that while the first and main educator is the parent, and families in diverse forms, educators in school are the ones who help a person all throughout their life.
Through the new agreement, these educators will be recognised, and the agreement brings with it a "substantial leap" in social aspects.
Mifsud said that collaboration with the MUT and the SfCE is constant and continuous, and thanked the MUT and government for the agreement reached, which will make a difference in educators' lives.
MUT President Marco Bonnici said that this is the largest agreement between the Church and a union in the country, covering 3,200 educators, building on the sectoral agreement.
This collective agreement will remain valid until 2027, Bonnici said, thanking all those involved, including Education Minister Clifton Grima and the Ministry's Permanent Secretary Matthew Vella.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna said that it is important to show that the Church recognises the work teachers and educators do.
"Educators have the right to gratitude, recognition, and our respect. This agreement recognises this reality, and respects workers in the education sector," Scicluna said.
He thanked all those who showed good will to reach such an agreement, and said that whoever chooses this vocation must have the knowledge that they are essentially contributing to the future quality of life of the nation.
Scicluna congratulated the relationship between the Education Ministry, Church schools and the MUT, appealing for it to continue to grow and develop, along with the honest and loyal spirit of collaboration.
At the end of the conference, the new collective agreement was signed by the Church authorities and the MUT.
Asked if there has been any progress on discussions between the MUT and the Education Ministry over the MCAST collective agreement, Bonnici said that discussions are still ongoing, and the union will be communicating with its delegates next week to update them on the progress.