Church’s plan for ‘Catholic-only’ teaching posts anti-Constitutional – GWU

The General Workers Union has joined a chorus of disapproval in condemning new Curia guidelines to reserve top teaching posts in faith schools for “practising Catholics”.

The union said it support the MUT in condemning the “attempt to introduce discriminatory procedures in the selection of new employees and promotions” in Church schools.

“The Curia’s proposals breach labour laws and the Constitution, which did not permit discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, political or religious beliefs,” the GWU said to the document revealed exclusively by MaltaToday on Sunday.

The Curia said in a reaction that the document is subject to an ongoing process of internal consultation within the Church and its school authorities. "The education secretariat reseves the right to hold a consultation on its draft plan freely, and comment on the process once the Church is in a position to announce to the public its school policies, in the light of their identity and mission and in full respect of fundamental human rights. We appeal for responsibility on such statements, and for them not to be based on media reports that come to the wrong conclusions."

Heads of Catholic schools are being asked by the Maltese archdiocese to discuss new terms of employment that will guarantee that schools’ head teachers and other staff can be safely considered to be “practising Catholics” – or face disciplinary action if their “life choices give scandal or run counter to the ethos of the school”.

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) said that it “will be taking all necessary action to protect its members” from what it deems to be a ‘medieval’ move unless the matter is resolved imminently.

Pointing out that, “worse still, the document reportedly makes it incumbent upon the individual employee to self-report if he/she enters into such life-choices and also invites prying into the private lives of church schools employees,” the MUT also criticised the fact that the document “fails to draw a distinction between Church Ministers and Officials on the one hand and Church School Employees on the other”.

The GWU added that it condemned the proposal where employees could be forced to resign over circumstances in their private lives, such as separation or parenthood outside marriage.