Today Maltese educators have gone on a one-day strike after no agreement about their financial package was struck between the MUT and the Labour Government. Maltese educators have been following a set of directives for two weeks before this strike.
Having been an educator myself and having suffered injustices from the educational system itself, I show my solidarity with all Maltese educators.
But instead of having a government elected by the people for the people, serving the people in its entirety and sovereignty, we have a government which has turned its attitude into a militant one. Because now, socialism has paved the way for communism and communism will not have it that Maltese educators stand up to be counted. In fact, 97% of teachers have gone on strike, as reported by TVM News today via an update by the MUT.
Here comes the Militaris Imperium with its militant announcements. First, we had Education Minister Clifton Grima saying that the “government will no longer negotiate with the union while the directives are in place.” The message here is that educators are to stop standing up for what they deserve and what is worth but must instead bow down to the Militaris Imperium. Somehow I got reminded of the deals that were struck with the sleepy masses during the pseudo Covid-19 pandemic. Do you remember how it was a deal or no deal after the first lockdown? It was something like ‘you can go out now but you have to wear a mask’. It was here that the masses gave up their sovereignty to the government which has thus been automatically given the power of a Militaris Imperium. Minister Clifton Grima, educators are not to bow down to your orders.
In comes the Emperor with his statement on the eve of this one-day strike, warning Maltese educators that “militant industrial action will not get them anywhere.” Is this a respectful way to show towards Maltese educators? So, this government boasts of spending millions in our educational system but when it comes to taking care of the most important human resource in the sector itself – which is educators – the government does not have any money.
Robert Abela also resorted to try to make educators feel guilty by adding that “It is not right that young children are made to suffer”. What an awful way to try to toil with the situation, so that the Maltese nation turns against educators! Instead of having a prime minister who, with his attitude, makes the nation show respect and solidarity towards educators, which are declining, he uses children instead so that teachers are put in a bad light!
But educators today have shown that they are not to be intimidated. This is a clear indication that educators are not the weaklings that the government is usually used to deal with! They have had enough of being treated like pawns. 25 years under the Elitist party of GonziPN and educators were given a miserable increment just before the last election in which GonziPN lost . I remember my annual pay-rise at the time was that of €600. Deduct the tax, and people out there can work out the miserable sum that I got monthly.
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat did acknowledge educators and shifted their working conditions and financial package to a much better one. On the other hand, we know that Muscat identifies himself as a progressive and liberal politician, with pro-business leanings, and has been associated with both economically liberal and socially liberal policies. Doesn’t this economy hold any more, so that it can give an excellent pay-rise to educators au par with that of nurses, for example?
Abela said that “a deal with educators can only be reached around the negotiating table” and that its “proposals will give substantial pay increases to educators.” Robert Abela, the negotiations have been going on for a number of months now and an agreement was still not hammered out. Educators are no pawns and they have had enough. Don’t you think, Robert Abela, that you had more than enough time to discuss and negotiate but that it is highly disrespectful to shift the blame onto educators now for not “putting the students’ interests first”? Shouldn’t this be on you and not on educators?
In addition, can you clarify what a ‘substantial pay increase’ means for you? Is it that of a 2% which is equivalent to the monthly amount of €60? Do you think this is substantial considering that this equals the COLA increment which educators will not get?
Dear Labour government, why don’t you recuperate the 400 million which were stolen from the Maltese nation in the corrupt Steward/Vitals hospital deal so that you have the money which you say you don’t have, so that you can give a pay-rise to educators and are government sector employees? Are you truly in parliament to serve the Maltese people and make sure that they are living a good life in a country which truly belongs to them and which was not sold to foreigners?
Any government that wages psychological warfare and war on its own citizens has declared itself an enemy of the people. Dear Labour government, considering that your militant attitude towards educators is truly psychological warfare, have you turned into an enemy of educators?
