Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515420
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 But they are also angry at the government for what they be- lieve is procrastination to give educators the substantial pay increases promised in the 2022 election. "We don't know why we went on strike in November because more than two months later we have no visibility as to what the MUT is demanding and what the government is offering," a primary school teacher said. She was one of thousands of educators who took part in a one-day strike last Novem- ber ordered by the MUT after a breakdown in talks. Strike action impacted all government and church schools. The teacher lamented the fact that questions put to the union are met with silence or calls for patience. "Patience is running out; we lost a full day's pay to go on strike and we still do not have an agreement that ensures a higher take-home pay," she added. A newly qualified teach- er starting at the lowest rung would be earning around €27,500 this year, including allowances. This amounts to around €1,750 per month after taxes are deducted. Data com- piled by Eurydice, the Euro- pean Commission's education research arm, and published last year shows that in 2021 the starting salary of a teacher in Malta was below the European average. Another teacher said the situ- ation is leading to lack of moti- vation among educators. "Everyone speaks about the importance of education for so- ciety and the economy and yet here we are, more than a year after our sectoral agreement lapsed, waiting for the govern- ment to put the money where its mouth is," she said. "It feels like we are not appreciated and this is demotivating." An LSE said that after dealing with the complex issues of chil- dren in her care she goes home to find her take-home pay has been eroded by the cost of liv- ing. "Handling children with diffi- culties and sometimes having to deal with uncooperative parents leaves its toll on our mental and physical wellbeing. The least we expect is appreciation for the work we do by being paid well," she said. The LSE expressed frustra- tion over the MUT's silence and insisted educators be given the chance to review and ap- prove any agreement before it is signed. "I don't know what the union is negotiating. I trust it is good for us but I expect to have a vote on any financial package agreed with the education ministry," she added. Another LSE blamed the gov- ernment for the protracted talks. "Is the government waiting for the election before it announces an agreement? Will we even be paid arrears for the months we have spent without a sectoral agreement?" Her last question is weighing heavily on the minds of many educators even though the gov- ernment has said any agreement will be backdated to last year. Financial still being discussed So far, the union and govern- ment have remained mum on what is being discussed. No fi- nancial information has been disclosed. Contacted by this newspaper, Education Minister Clifton Gri- ma insisted the government will stick to its pledge to offer edu- cators a "substantial increase", however he stopped short of di- vulging any numbers. "Talks 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 finan- cials are still being discussed," Grima said. Asked whether the agreement will include arrears, the minis- ter confirmed it will be back- dated to last year. The sectoral agreement agreed in 2017 expired in De- cember 2022. The agreement concerns the specific condi- tions, including allowances, of teachers, learning support ed- ucators and kindergarten ed- ucators working in State and church schools. Attempts to contact the union for comment proved futile but on Thursday the MUT commu- nicated with its members that a timetable has been established with the respective ministries and educational entities for the conclusion of negotiations on several agreements. The union is currently en- gaged in talks on the sectoral agreement for educators in state primary and secondary schools, and separate collective agreements with the Institute for Education, MCAST and the Institute for Tourism Studies. It said that a series of "in- tensive meetings" have been scheduled. "These shall lead to the con- clusion of respective agree- ments followed by the pres- entation of the agreements to affected members, through the procedure stipulated by Stat- ute," the MUT said. It added that should negotia- tions fail at any stage the union will instruct members to initi- ate industrial action. "At this stage and until these processes are concluded, the operations of the union shall be focused exclusively on agree- ments… Members are request- ed to be patient in this particu- lar phase," the MUT said. Salary scale Starting salary 2024 Head of school 5 31,681 Assistant head of school 6 29,805 Senior education support practitioner 8 26,417 Teacher 9 24,854 KGE III 10 23,376 LSE III 10 23,376 KGE II 12 20,572 LSE II 12 20,572 LSA 13 19,224 KGE I 15 16,662 LSE I 15 16,662 These salaries are based on the government scales published in the budget estimates for 2024. They exclude all allowances. Teachers are eligible for an annual qualification allowance, while all teachers, LSEs and KGEs receive a class allowance that depends on the salary scale and number of service years, and a work resources allowance. Starting salaries Educators growing impatient over lack of information from union, government Education Minister Clifton Grima (inset) insists the government will stick to its pledge to offer educators a "substantial increase"