PN youth wing places banner near MCAST Paola campus following collective agreement delays

Members of the PN's youth wing, Moviment Żgħażagħ Partit Nazzjonalista (MŻPN) have placed banners near MCAST's Paola campus in the wake of the stagnant situation regarding MCAST staff's delayed collective agreement.

On Friday, banners close to the campus were stuck, as the PN youth wing's banners noted that there are millions of euros available for Vitals and Steward, but no funds available for MCAST's staff.

Negotiations between the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and MCAST have remained at an impasse, leaving students without crucial academic feedback. The MUT and Ministry for Education have been embroiled in a protracted trade dispute, primarily centered around a delayed collective agreement. Students find themselves caught in the crossfire.

On Thursday, the MUT announced that it will be suspending a directive on student examination marks, with effect from Tuesday 30 January, after progress on talks for a new collective agreement. Reacting to the union’s decision, MCAST said the school and the union jointly committed to concluding negotiations on the new collective agreement for the academic grades.

In a Facebook post, MŻPN stated that government has been negotiating a new collective agreement for the MCAST staff for months, yet found no problem in giving millions in taxpayer funds to Vitals and Steward. 

"It's clear that government's priority is its freind's pockets, not Malta's education sector," MŻPN concluded.