Church vows it will not discriminate against non-Catholic teachers

The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) has today said that the it was given reassurances by the Church that teachers working in Church schools will not be discriminated against if they are not practicing Catholics.

Following a meeting between the union and bishops Charles Scicluna and Mario Grech, an agreement was reached between the two parties over the controversial plan announced by the Church to block promotions to higher or sensitive teaching posts to candidates who cannot prove they are “practicing Catholics”.

In a statement issued today, MUT said that during the meeting, the union was “reassured that the Church has no intention to judge or discriminate in favour or against employees working in Church schools according to how they lead their private lives.”

Heads of Catholic schools are being asked by the Maltese archdiocese to discuss new terms of employment that will guarantee that schools’ head teachers and other staff can be safely considered to be “practising Catholics” – or face disciplinary action if their “life choices give scandal or run counter to the ethos of the school”.

The document will lay down requirements that will forbid top school posts to be occupied by people who do not share the Catholic faith or “do not adhere in their substantive life choices to the teachings of the Catholic Church”.

Following the publication of the document by MaltaToday, the union had denounced the “medieval” proposal and stressed that “employment by the Church in Malta is governed by Maltese Law, which clearly does not allow for such odious distinctions to regulate the selection or promotion of employees.

However, the union today noted that the bishops assured that no investigations or probes will be carried out and the two parties agreed that all educators working in Church schools should conform to the code of ethics and the ethos of the schools they work in.

As a result the union withdrew the directive it had issued earlier this month in which it advised its members in Church Schools to refrain from discussing the document or in participating in any meeting organised on the same topic.

The union agreed that Church schools should continue embracing Catholic beliefs but it also expressed its satisfaction on the “initial agreement” on the fundamental industrial principles and workers’ rights.

“MUT and the Curia also agreed to hold further meetings to compile a document which will be included in the collective agreement.”

The two parties also discussed legal issues, transport and the environment in a number of schools, which are all subject to further talks.