The Maltese saying "Trid tħallsu biex ikellmek" is used to describe someone, often children, who keep back from expressing themselves verbally due to shyness or for being reserved. This phrase got a new meaning in the past days when the government announced that the agreement reached with private operators of childcare centres includes a measure whereby childcare educators will be paid an allowance of €500+ annually to communicate in Maltese. So literally, the government, or better taxpayers,  will be paying an extra allowance to employees to speak to us in our national language.

The problem with the use, or better the reduced use of the Maltese language is well known and many have been proposing measures to address the situation. The share of foreign workers in childcare centres is on the increase but who would have thought - other than the able negotiators of the new childcare agreement - our country would end up paying workers to speak to us in our national language.  This when the country is boasting that it is attracting quality foreign workers in all sectors.

Futhermore, employers boast that they can even carry out rigid selection processes to choose one foreign employee out of a hundred candidates for a single post. Similarly employers claim that they can fire employees with ease given the surplus of foreign workers available to take the vacated posts. So, the share of expertise in the negotiating team of the new childcare agreement did not even consider improved selection criteria of employees in childcare with the addition of Maltese language mastery even at the very basic level. They did not consider introducing compulsory courses in Maltese as a pre-requisite for the post of childcare educator. They did not even consider on-the job continuous professional training in the Maltese Language.

Because this is a country where we are getting constant messages that money offers a fix, the government throws taxpayers' money at the problem, thus having us believe that a complex situation, such as the lack of use of the Maltese language in childcare centres, can easily be addressed.  

I have been involved in negotiations for over 15 years and I know the reasoning during negotiations. If the parties wanted to introduce an allowance, they could have given it any title possible on earth. If they wanted to issue an allowance for one category of employees based on something other than work-related, it would be discrimiatory.  This unless some illuminated negotiator comes up with the idea to tie the new allowance to a service which is desirable by all, namely Maltese speaking foreign employees.  This measure would have the negotiators gain extra brownie points.

Immediately upon learning about the new agreement, the MUT, which represents childcare educators at the Foundation for Educational Services, objected with the government about the discrimination that could result from the implementation of the new allowance. Childcare centre educators who  are Maltese-speaking should not be discriminated upon and denied any applicable remuneration simply because they are not foreigners who need to be incentivised to learn Maltese.

Local job-seekers are already being discriminated upon in the market since, when applying for jobs in childcare centres,  candidates are being sidelined by private employers who are preferring foreign workers. The imbalance between foreign and local employees is being felt in the sector and it is further enhanced through the measure to pay employees to speak Maltese.

I am all out in promoting the use of the Maltese language at the place of work and I welcome all inititatives and incentives which can lead to its increased use but if any, as a country,  we should desist from paying extras to foreigners to speak to us in our national language.

Marco Bonnici is President of the Malta Union of Teachers