Updated | School strike still on as MUT talks with government prove 'inconclusive'

An emergency meeting will be held at Castille this evening between the Malta Union of Teachers, the Prime Minister and Education Minister Justyne Caruana ended with no conclusion.

The union said strike action in State schools on Friday will go ahead but talks will continue in the morning.

The MUT said in a Facebook post that talks were "inconclusive".

The meeting was called this afternoon after a first day of strike action caused chaos in some schools.

On Wednesday, the union ordered a two-day strike on the eve of State schools reopening after the Christmas holidays.

The union wanted schools to go online because of the spike in COVID-19 cases, something the government refused to do. Church schools unilaterally decided to start online.

The government has insisted there was no advice by the health authorities to keep schools shut but only recommendations to strengthen mitigation measures.

The MUT described the first day of the strike today a success as it condemned the minister for exerting pressure on teachers when she visited schools in Gozo.

Government insisted that schools were open but in some cases students were turned back because there were no staff to supervise children.

The association representing parents of State school students expressed concern over the mixed messages given to parents by the health and education authorities, while insisting that children had a right to receive an education.

READ ALSO: Parents vent anger and frustration at school strike, government inaction and lax attitude