[WATCH] Educators need insurance policy, union insists

The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) is calling for all educators to be entitled to insurance, insisting that their safety was being threatened more often.

"The union is calling for an insurance policy to cover all educators,” UPE executive head Graham Sansone told a press conference on Monday.

“Over the fast few weeks we have seen the situation, which has been building up for years, grow despite teachers warning for years that they did not feel safe in their place of work.”

Sansone said teachers were getting pushed around more often and were in some cases even being attacked by their students.

Sansone said that in response, the union would be putting forward it's proposals to the government for insurance, as well as compensation to be given to educators in the "eventuality" that they are injured on duty.

He said that educators should also be paid in full for the days that they might miss due to injury caused by aggression.

Union director Rita Catania said teachers were often having to work in a climate of fear, adding that the security in many schools across the islands wasn’t up to standard.

George Debono, the union’s financial officer said matters of security needed to be addressed in order for the profession to be able to attract more quality teachers.

Last Thursday the UPE expressed its disappointment at the fact that while member's of the country’s uniformed forces would be offered compensation for injuries incurred during the course of their duties, this was not being offered to educators.

Asked whether the proposal was targeted at all teachers, Sansone said the union was initially focusing on the public sector. "I suggest that an insurance policy should be made all across the board. So eventually we should have security measures and insurance policies for all schools regardless of whether they are state or not."

He added that a “free for all situation” where anyone can simply enter a school, was not acceptable. Policies, he said, needed to be put into place for the protection of not only educators but also the students.

Sansone said the union would be leaving it to the minister and government to determine what measures were necessary.

READ MORE: Educators' union calls for injury compensation for teachers