Teachers’ union files judicial protest to stop rivals’ interference in LSE negotiations

Malta’s national union of teachers and a breakaway union under the auspices of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin are at loggerheads since the latter issued irregular industrial directives last week.

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) accused the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) of interfering in matters pertaining to its collective agreements, with industrial actions of its own.

The recently-formed UPE has 564 members according to the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations, while the MUT has over 9,600 members.

“For months the MUT has been hindered its work at school and church schools after the UPE started interfering in collective agreement negotiations. The MUT has so far chosen not to react to continuous attacks on its officials, at times personal. We think these tit-for-tits are of no benefit to anyone. But the union cannot stay silent in the face of the UPE’s direct interference in matters that are not in its competence,” the MUT said in a statement.

The MUT has now filed a judicial protest in a bid to prevent the UPE from intervening in collective agreement talks for LSE2-type teachers.

“Different unions cannot just issue their own collective directives, and in the process sow confusion in workplaces. The laws that regulate trade union recognition are clear, and only the union which has the majority of members can intervene and negotiate on collective matters and take industrial action when it feels negotiations are not achieving anything.

“Whoever is not at that table is only destabilizing talks by taking industrial action,” the MUT said, referring to the UPE’s call last week for industrial action.

The UPE, represented by executive head Graham Sansone, is claiming learning support educators (LSEs) are suffering from salary injustices and overtime issues which have been ignored by the MUT in collective talks with the education ministry.