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LATEST
NEWS:
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27th
January 2012
Dear
member, the Union needs your input…
The
Malta Union of Teachers is setting up a number of working
groups to cover the various sectors which are represented.
These working groups have the objective to advise the MUT
Council on specific matters concerning their sector, so
that the Council can take an informed stand or position.
The working groups will not be involved in trade-unionist
work of any kind and will not be expected to enter into
negotiations and/or bargaining. The working groups are to
meet at the MUT premises at an average rate of one meeting
per month with meetings scheduled according to member's
exigencies. The groups will be chaired by Council members
who will then report feedback from each group to the Council.
Looking forward to have you on board.
The
application form to join the working groups can be accessed
by following the link:
Link
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Meeting
for Complementary Teachers
Dear
Colleagues,
In
the past weeks the Union received some queries from Complementary
teachers regarding a number of issues including the duties,
roles and working conditions. To understand better the concerns
of Complementary teachers and take action accordingly, the
MUT Education Committee will be holding a meeting for all
Complementary teachers (in state, church and independent
schools) as follows:
Date:
Thursday 2nd February 2012
Time: 16.00
Venue: MUT - 213, Republic Street Valletta
The
Union urges all members and prospective members to attend
this important meeting.
Regards
Marco Bonnici
Senior Vice President
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26th
January 2012
Directives
to ALL TEACHERS
The
MUT would like to clarify that it has no agreement whatsoever
on the following:
a)
The handing in of detailed answer sheets to the Directorate
on examination papers in both primary and secondary schools
that have been prepared (and are to be corrected) by teachers
(Reference made to Circular CMeLD 178/2011)
b) The preparation of adapted papers in all levels (reference
made to Circular QAD 10/2012)
c) The translation of examination papers to English or any
other languages
The
MUT is hence directing its members to refrain from doing
such work as explained above and ignore both circulars until
such time as an agreement is reached between the DQSE and
the MUT.
The
directives also hold for Church schools.
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MUT Central Administration
24th
January 2012
MUT's
Facebook Engagement Policy
Following
the ongoing commitment by Union officials to reach all members,
the MUT Facebook group is becoming a forum for sharing information,
discussing concerns, and analysing issues. To continue to
provide the best service to members, the Union is hereby
presenting its MUT Facebook Policy. The policy can be accessed
by following the link below:
Link
MUT
Central Administration
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24th
January 2012
In-Service Courses - Examination Access Arrangements
- ITS - School Visits - School Delegates - MUT Youth Section
In
Service Courses
The MUT would like to clarify the following points with
its members:
a) All inset courses that are being followed during the
scholastic year are in lieu of the summer courses. Persons
who attend these courses are not obliged to attend a summer
inset. Inset courses after school hours can only be held
every two years.
b) Compulsory courses are those where the employer asks
you formally to attend. In the absence of compulsory courses
teaching grades may attend voluntary courses ONLY on a voluntary
basis.
Examination Access Special Arrangements
The MUT highly recommends that no teacher and/or LSA and/or
any other teaching grade should accept a situation whereby
they are asked to stay alone with a single child in a classroom
during examinations.
ITS Meeting
As notified earlier in www.mut.org.mt negotiation talks
are continuing as scheduled.
School Visits
As part of routine school visits that the MUT carries
out, this week MUT officials visited other state primary
school. Several visits are planned in other state schools,
Church schools, MCAST institutes and Independent Schools.
MUT delegates who would like to organise a school visit
are kindly asked to contact the Union.
School Delegates
The MUT would like to repeat its appeal to its members
in those schools where a delegate is not yet appointed.
The role of the school delegate is primarily to serve as
liaison between the members and the Union on collective
issues. In view of the various developments that are currently
coming up school delegates play a very important informational
role and the lack of a delegate may prove detrimental. The
MUT statute empowers members on the place of work to choose
their own delegate/s and these cannot be appointed directly
by Union officials. Members interested in this role are
encouraged to contact the MUT for further information on
questions of process to be done and/or on the actual role.
Youth Section
In the coming days the MUT General Secretary will be
convening the Electoral Committee to initiate the process
to setup the youth section as per statute. A number of persons
have shown interest in the past weeks. Persons who would
like more information are kindly asked to contact the Union
asap.
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23rd
January 2012
LSA2
Interviews
The
Director General DES, Ms Micheline Sciberras, has informed
the MUT that interviews for the grade of LSA2 will kick
off on February 14th.
ITS, MCAST and Civil Service Collective Agreements
The
MUT would like to inform its members that talks on all the
above agreements are currently continuing as scheduled.
Since all of these agreements are negotiated also with PACBU
the Union will await for the Government's decision in this
regard in case of the dissolution of Parliament.
MUT Central Administration
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20th
January 2012
Interviews
for LSA 2
The
Director General has informed the Union in writing that
interviews for LSA2 will start in February but as yet no
date was specified.
Transport
with Special Needs Students
The
Union has requested a meeting with the DES to discuss a
number of concerns raised by its members regarding transport
supervision. In the mean time the Union has reminded the
DES that it is still awaiting a reply on the DES' position
regarding issues raised by the Union concerning H&S
for employees working with special needs.
Directive Still in Force - Interactive Whiteboards Inventory
The
Union has been informed that SMT in state schools are being
requested by MITA to check and confirm location and codes
of Interactive Whiteboards and Projectors. Members of the
SMT are directed to refrain from providing this information
until the Union reaches an agreement about the matter with
Directorates.
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18th
January 2012
LSA2
Interviews
The MUT has written to the Director General DES and to
the Hon. Minister regarding the impending interviews for
LSA2. The Union is asking the DES to start procedures with
high urgency.
MUT
Central Administration
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18th
January 2012
Incompatibility
Between Different Interactive Whiteboards
The
MUT has communicated with the DQSE after it received complaints
from a number of members in state secondary schools that
teachers are having to prepare their lessons more than once
due to incompatibility between different makes of whiteboards.
The Union has been informed that this issue is easily resolved
by installing particular software drivers. Ms Lorna Schembri,
Service Manager IT, has offered to help all teachers with
this problem. Ms Schembri may be contacted via email lorna.schembri@gov.mt.
All members facing these difficulties are highly encouraged
to use this help.
MUT
Secretariat
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13th
January 2012
Work
Practice Placements/Job Exposure
The
Union has been informed that meetings are being held in
secondary schools to inform teaching grades and students
about Job Exposure. The Union would like to clarify that
the Job Exposure Directive is still in force as follows.
Any undue pressure to undertake duties in connection with
Job Exposure should be reported to the Union.
In view of the fact that issues identified by the Union
have still not been adequately
addressed, the Union solicits all teaching grades (including
SMT members, teachers,
guidance teachers, LSAs etc.) not to undertake any duties
related thereto in order
to safeguard their professional integrity and the well-being
of the students concerned.
Directive:
Work Practice Placements/Job Exposure
The MUT has been informed that in the coming weeks various
secondary
school students will be involved in work practice placements.
While the
Union has no objection to the idea of exposing young people
to jobs as part
of their career guidance formation, the Union would like
to note the
following points:
a) There is no agreement between the Authorities concerned
and the MUT
about a legal framework that covers teachers, student services
professional
staff and LSAs that participate in such activities - it
is not known who
will be held responsible in case of accidents.
b) The primary objective of teachers and of LSAs is to teach,
and in the
case of the latter, to facilitate teaching.
c) Students are reportedly asked to work for free in these
placements
without any sort of compensation, making any accompanying
educators
arguably accomplices to what may seem (as noted by some
members) to be an
abusive situation.
d) Moreover there seems to be no kind of framework that
protects these
students (most of them just 14 year olds) in case of abuse
from customers
and/or other third parties. (In this respect, and in respect
of the point
above, the MUT has written to the Commissioner for Children
to ask for her
opinion.)
Thus, and in view of the above, the Union would like to
make it absolutely
clear that its members are under no obligation and should
refrain from
accompanying students on work places during such events,
at least until
such time as the Government and the Union come to an agreement
over a legal
framework governing these issues.*
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HR
Vocational Course by the FHRD: Update
The
Vocational Course in Human Resources organized by the FHRD
will
commence on the 31st January 2012.
For
additional information kindly contact Mr James Gatt on 212370685.
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Payment
for Supervision
The
Union is informed that teaching grades in some schools have
not been paid for supervision carried out last year. Moreover,
the Union is also informed that LSAs in some secondary schools
have not been paid for extra hours over the 27 1/2hrs.
As
the MUT is identifying the schools involved, teaching grades
who have not been paid for supervision or LSAs who have
not been paid for the extra hours are kindly advised to
contact the Union or send an e-mail on gensec@mut.org.mt
.
General
Secretary
_________________________________________________________________
11th
January 2012
Request
to SMT by MITA
The
Union has been informed that SMT in state schools are being
requested by MITA to check and confirm location and codes
of Interactive Whiteboards and Projectors. Members of the
SMT are directed to refrain from providing this information
until the Union reaches an agreement about the matter with
Directorates.
Supply Grades on Definite Contract
The
Union has written to the DES to remind it that supply grades
on a definite contract still have to sign this scholastic
year's documents.
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E-Learning
Platform in Church Schools: Update
Following
a clarification meeting held today between the Church Schools
Authorities and the Malta Union of Teachers, the directive
issued on the 5th January 2012 relating to the E-Learning
Platform is being suspended provided that any work related
thereto is in conformity with the Church Schools Agreement
and the functions of teachers therein established.
The
MUT should be notified with immediacy should any instances
of undue pressure arise.
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General
Secretary
10th
January 2012
Council for the Teaching Profession
The Ministry for Education and Employment has issued
a circular whereby it has announced that nominations for
members of the Council of the Teaching Profession are now
open. This Council is a very important body which monitors
the teaching profession and is a guardian for the code of
ethics, and Teaching Warrant.
The circular is available on the website www.mut.org.mt
for all members' perusal. MUT members are encouraged to
contest these elections and form part of this important
council. Members may seek further information by contacting
Union officials. Although MUT members elected on this council
through the normal election method are not representatives
of the Union, the MUT will provide support to member nominees.
The Union has two representatives on the Teaching Council
who are nominated by its Council.
Health
and Safety Issues in cases of Special Needs
The Union has been informed by the DES that in the coming
days internal meetings will be held with the AG to discuss
the various implications and suggestions raised by the MUT
concerning health and safety issues of teaching grades working
with children with disability. Director General DES, Ms
Micheline Sciberras, said that she will be contacting the
Union for further meetings after the AG clarifies legal
points and difficulties that have been pointed out by the
MUT.
MCAST
The MUT will be meeting the Ministry to discuss various
situations at MCAST that are yet unresolved.
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9th
January 2011
Nominations
for the Council of the Teaching Profession now open
Please
see the circular issued by the Ministry of Education and
Employment by clicking
here.
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HR
Vocational Course by the FHRD
The
FHRD is organizing a Competency Certificate Course in Human
Resources.
Kindly click on the link
for more information.
Should
you have any queries kindly address them to:
Mr
James Gatt B.Commerce (Hons. in Management)
Executive
Foundation for Human Resources Development
Casa Leone, Pjazza Robert Samut, Floriana FRN 1200, Malta
Tel: 21 370685 Fax 21 381945
Email: jgatt@fhrd.org
Website: www.fhrd.org
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9th
January 2011
Five
New Books in MUT Library
Check
them out here
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5th
January 2011
E
Learning Platforms in Church Schools
As
advised previously the MUT had declared a dispute with Church
Authorities regarding the implementation of an e-learning
platform in certain schools.
The
MUT is hereby directing all its members to immediately refrain
from using systems connected to the e-learning platform
until such time as an agreement is reached with the Church
Authorities regarding this important issue. Such systems
have various serious implications on the role of the various
teaching grades and it is not acceptable that schools implement
such systems without consulting the Union or even the Church
Authorities themselves.
Added
to this, but on a different aspect, the Union notes that
Church School teachers have still not been provided with
the appropriate IT tools and it is expecting this issue
to be resolved before the commencement of the next scholastic
year. This deadline has been made very clear with the Church
Authorities in a meeting with HE Archbishop Mgr. Paul Cremona.
MUT
Central Administration
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4
ta' Jannar 2012
Ftehim Kollettiv Servizz Pubbliku
Illum
l-4 ta' Jannar fi hdan il-binja tal-MUT se jiltaqghu il-Unions
kollha li jirraprezentaw il-haddiema tas-servizz pubbliku.
Din il-laqgha ser isservi sa biex il-Unions involuti jikkordinaw
ahjar il-pozizzjonijiet taghhom fin-negozjati tal-ftehim
kollettiv.
Ftehim
Kollettiv St. Martins
Illum
ukoll saret laqgha interna mad-delegati ta' St. Martin's
College fejn gie diskuss l-ahhar proposta tal- manigment
ghall-ftehim kollettiv.
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MUT
expresses condolences
The
MUT has today written to the Chairman of the ITS, Ms Claire
Zammit Xuereb expressing its condolences and solidarity.
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Maternity
Leave Extended
Maternity
leave has been extended as per provisions of the last budget
speech. Please follow the link to the Legal Notice (L.N.
503 of 2011) published on 30th December 2011.
http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/legalnotices/2011/12/LN%20503.pdf
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27th
December 2011
MUT Declares Trade Dispute with the Church Authorities
The MUT has declared a trade dispute with the Church Authorities
after it has transpired that at least two Church schools
have completely ignored the agreement signed between the
two sides and implemented an e-learning platform without
any agreement and consultation with the MUT.
The
MUT has made it clear that it is expecting the Church Authorities
to:
a) Investigate what is going on in its schools
b) Enter into discussions with the Union about such a platform
The
MUT will be issuing clear directives to all its members
at the start of the scholastic year's second term.
MUT
Central Administration
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One
Union