New teachers' union to be set up, amid claims of 'betrayal'

A new union for educators is being set up, amid disagreements over a new collective agreement, the UĦM - Voice of the Workers said. It said in a statement on Wednesday that a group of educators will embark on the registration process of the new union, which is to be called Union of Professional Educators (UPE) – Voice of the Workers. They are Rita Catania, David Rossi and George Debono, three former MUT council members who said on Tuesday that they had resigned from the union because they learnt about certain aspects of the new collective agreement for teachers from the media. They said the council was never presented with a complete printed version of the agreement. Read: MUT and Education Ministry sign agreement Teachers feel “betrayed” by their own union after the publication of an agreement with the government revealed that they would not be getting the sort of pay raise they were promised. The UĦM said the need for such a union was felt at the request of many Maltese educators. It would ensure a strong representation of their interests and provide services to members. It said it would provide more details later.