Union cannot disclose agreement details until ‘everything is agreed upon’, MUT chief says

Malta Union of Teachers members will vote on the sectoral agreement once talks with government are concluded, union chief Marco Bonnici confirmed.

However, the MUT President defended the union’s decision not to disclose its demands to members so far. “Nothing is agreed upon until everything is agreed upon,” he insisted in comments to MaltaToday.

“This is the basic rule of negotiations and is the reason why one cannot disclose sections of an agreement until the whole agreement is concluded. It applies also to the financial package which is tied with conditions of work. The package remains unconfirmed until the last condition of work is agreed upon, which may also bring a change in the financials,” Bonnici said.

He was reacting to a MaltaToday story from Sunday that quoted several educators complaining over the lack of information on the ongoing sectoral agreement discussions.

Teachers and LSEs who spoke to this newspaper even questioned the scope of November’s one-day strike action ordered by the MUT. Almost three months later the sectoral agreement talks have not yet concluded.

READ ALSO: Frustrated and angry teachers: ‘Why did we even strike?’

The sectoral agreement for teachers, LSEs, Kindergarten educators and heads of school expired in December 2022.

Educators are still in the dark as to what the union’s demands for better pay and work conditions are and what the government is offering.

“The proposals for the sectoral agreement being negotiated, including the financials, are exactly what members have been requesting throughout the consultation sessions held by MUT over a span of months,” Bonnici said, adding the agreement shall be made available to members once negotiations are concluded. “MUT members shall vote on the agreement.”

He defended the industrial action taken last November, which he says was the result of stalled positions on financials.

“Things have been moving forward following the directives and strike,” Bonnici said, adding that a clear timeline to conclude the agreement has now been established with the government.

Education Minister Clifton Grima told MaltaToday on Sunday the government is committed to honour its electoral pledge to offer teachers a “substantial” increase in pay packets. However, he has stopped short of quantifying the increase.

Grima had said talks between government and the union never stopped. “We have increased the frequency of meetings and we have charted out a way forward for the next few weeks. I wish to conclude within the next two months. We’ve made a lot of progress on several issues but the financials are still being discussed,” Grima had said.