Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/858250
18 Opinion maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 AUGUST 2017 Ways for the public to openly air their views are crucial in today's democracy [but] sometimes the wrong information… is put forward and common sense is lost in the discourse T he power of social media was on full view over the past few days as photos of illegally set up deckchairs on local beaches made it onto Facebook the second they hit the sand. In all fairness, the authorities were already on the ball but the fact that people were posting pictures and commenting on such abuse further emphasised the point. Operators who were dodging regulations were facing the wrath of something much worse than the heavy hand of the authorities: the public. Newspapers used to hold that kind of influence, but the news websites had to follow rather than lead on this, as photos were being uploaded in real time with pressure mounting. I think we're onto something here, but I do have concerns. Social media has opened the doors to public mobilisation, which in turn can become an effort and a tool in itself. When there are enough people leading the outcry, it becomes an issue. On local social media, especially Facebook though, user-led groups create a cacophony that has become increasingly difficult to ignore. There are issues with this. Ways for the public to openly air their views are crucial in today's democracy, however there is an unregulated aspect to all this. Sometimes the wrong information, or simply misguided notions, is put forward and common sense is lost in the discourse. We have seen this in education-related matters in recent years, where something which was simply incorrect reverberated across Facebook with little ability by us to wrestle it. These are absolutely amazing ways to get the public involved in building the agenda. I do think there is an issue which has not received enough attention – access for people with mobility-related issues. I find it increasingly frustrating that people who have some form of mobility issue end up in a virtual prison simply because we're unable to do relatively basic things. Access to walkways is often barred because of one thing or another – whether it's wrongly parked vehicles or construction-related machinery. This is wholly unacceptable. An individual in a wheelchair, in 2017, should not have to rely on the benevolence of total strangers to help them out of a tight spot simply because of the carelessness of others. Of course, the law is already there – new buildings and improvements to existing ones must comply with strict accessibility rules. But on a practical level the story is very different. I think social media could provide empowerment here. Because each situation is so different, we need to bring to light these issues so that action is taken on an individual level. People with disabilities are often under-represented in different fora but their voice, and the challenges they face, must be heard. The problems being faced vary in shape and form, but there must be more understanding from the general public on this issue, and sometimes the smallest of things could make so much difference. I know many private employers who spent a great deal of effort to make sure their employees have the best services. They ought to be celebrated for their care and respect. However, we have many others, and this includes public sector and private sector individuals, whose care on these issues is simply not good enough. We must work harder because, in this day and age, we shouldn't be talking about the same things that we talked about 30 years ago. It ultimately boils down to respect for the dignity of the individual – let's make sure each and every one of us can live freely and independently. Evarist Bartolo is minister for education and employment An assignment for social media Evarist Bartolo A s expected, the first month following my election as the new Malta Union of Teachers president has been quite hectic. Together with the senior vice- president, Norman Grech, we have met hundreds of members with issues ranging from deployment cases to ver y serious and delicate matters some members are unfortunately facing at their workplace. These cases are our first priorit y in the short- and medium-term – this is one of the backbone ser vices of the MUT and our members can rest assured they would find help should they require it. Meanwhile, we continued work on agreements of ITS and MCAST and we reactivated negotiations on the agreements of both State and Church schools. We are aiming for wide-ranging consultation on agreements starting around September/ October. It's an uphill struggle due to the complexit y of the system but concrete measures need to be taken to bring about the required improvements in salaries and conditions of work as one of the main measures to address the crisis in the teaching profession. Everyone in the educational sector knows what the problems are but these are not always acknowledged by all. I will be stressing to no end so that the authorities take the plunge to make the necessary changes, especially in salary, allowances and conditions of work as we have stated repeatedly, to attract the best possible people to our noble profession and to continue to provide the best educational experience to our students. This must be seen as an opportunity in the current booming economy to invest in educators as a direct investment in our students. Unfair to blame child carers I am following the current discussions on childcare centres and one needs to make it a point that most issues to be tackled in this sector are related to centres as organisations. These include ratios of carers to children, transparency of centres, health and safety, cleanliness and other related issues. It is therefore unfair to blame child carers personally for such shortcomings and jump to conclusions about cameras and additional spot-checks on personnel as the way forward. Instead, authorities should first of all work on making sure that the national standards at organisation level are reached. I believe that this alone would eliminate most of the current issues and would improve the conditions of those who ultimately work in the front line. As a union we are willing to continue discussing issues on behalf of our members to improve the situation for all concerned. The union agrees that these centres should always act in the best interest of the children under their care, particularly in the standards reached and in good practices. The union also agrees – and this should be obvious – that any cases of abuse should be reported immediately through established channels. New MUT officials Earlier this week the union announced its new general secretary, which means that the new leadership of the union now has its full complement in place. I welcome Ms Carmen Dimech to the post and look forward to start working immediately on the many issues at hand, including pending agreements and individual member issues. Her vast experience in the sector will certainly be an asset at this crucial time, and I am certain that she is more than capable of performing a sterling job with the help of all other officials, staff and union members. This followed the election of the new vice- president, Ms Elaine Germani. Ms Germani has been in office for a couple of weeks and has already assisted a number of members whilst participating in official meetings and agreements. Her experience at grass-root levels shall be invaluable for the union to ensure that it remains in touch with members' current issues. As a side note, these appointments mark a number of firsts in the long history of the union, including the first female general secretary and also, with two females and two male top officials we achieved full gender equality without any need for quotas. This augurs well, especially since the workforce in the educational sector is in good part female and therefore this will be reflected in union representation. Marco Bonnici is MUT president New broom at the union Marco Bonnici MUT appointments mark a number of firsts in the long history of the union, including the first female general secretary and also, with two females and two male top officials we achieved full gender equality without any need for quotas