Government, MUT sign new collective agreement
After months of negotiations and disputes, which culminated in a one-day strike last November, the government and the Malta Union of Teachers have finally put their signature on a new collective agreement for teachers.
The agreement was signed on Monday at Castille, and according to the government it will mean a substantial improvement in income and conditions of work for teachers employed by the State and Church schools.
Describing it as the best agreement ever, Prime Minister Robert Abela said the agreement provides for better salaries for all educators until 2027. The agreement is backdated to the start of 2023.
The government and the MUT had initially announced an agreement during the electoral campaign in May, but the MUT members had rejected it, sending it back to the negotiating table.
A new updated agreement obtained the support of 92 per cent of the union membership last week, leading to today's agreement.
Abela said that the government promised significant improvement in the conditions of educators, leading up to the agreement, and went on to say that educators are the “motor” of the education sector. He added that the agreement provides for increases in salaries for all grades of educators and allows them to advance in their career faster and have better professional development.
Abela said that this agreement is part of a chain of other agreements which gave substantial raises to workers, with more agreements to come.
“The investment in more tools in schools and in the teaching of tomorrow, which has an ongoing discussion on a new strategy for the educational sector, will encourage teaching that will render the best opportunities and careers for the Maltese youth in sectors that give added value to our economy,” he said.
Education Minister Clifton Grima thanked all those involved in the discussions that led to the best sectoral agreement educators have ever had, and said that this agreement is the first in which the government and the Malta Union of Teachers have a common vision for the continuation of the transformation of the education sector. “By working together with educators, social partners etc. we will see that this sector is truly person-centred,” he said.
“We managed to turn several obstacles into opportunities for educators,” he said before the signing.
MUT President Marco Bonnici said that this agreement is the result of negotiations on an agreement that recognizes the experience, qualifications and commitment of educators and sustains them in order to keep offering the best teaching experience to students.
“It was a challenging period and we had to resort to industrial action, but thankfully that didn’t hinder the progress of negotiations,” Bonnici said before the signing.
“The aim of negotiations was always to improve teachers’ working conditions, which would, in turn, provide a better educational experience for our children.”
According to a fact sheet provided by the government, the
Sectoral Agreement for educators will see that:
• The security and policy on behaviour in schools is revised;
• Remuneration related to supervision is increased by €13.55/hr to €16.11/hr, in addition to an increase in the number of educators who have the ability to supervise;
• Special leave is increased from 31.25 hours to 34 hours, with 35% of unused special leave being ‘carried forward’ onto the next scholastic year;
• A new arrangement is made for educators to be paid for allowances during study leave;
• The National Assessment Strategy is based on continuous assessment as well as controlled assessment (exams), such that 60% will be based on examinations and 40% will be based on continuous assessment;
• The introduction of a new model of inclusion, which is evidence-based and provides more support, such as Resource Centres and the opening of Reach Units in Primary Schools;
• Professional development for teachers rises from 40 to 48 hours, with supply educators being provided with the necessary training to become regular teachers;
• Increases for all grades who will also be backdated from January 2023, a one-off €1,000 extra on signature of the agreement;
• A yearly allowance of €2,000 LSEs and KGEs following 20 years of service;
• A yearly allowance of €1,000 for primary school teachers as of January 2023;
• The extension of the teachers’ €2,000 allowance to other education officials, such as heads and deputy heads.