[WATCH] Education minister: teachers’ pay shortcomings have been addressed

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The salary increases for teachers in the sectoral agreement were much better than those reached in any other previous agreements, education minister Evarist Bartolo said today, in his first reaction to educators' angry reaction at the salaries increase side of the agreement.

Asked whether he was surprised at the disappointment shown by teachers regarding the financial aspects of the agreement, Bartolo highlighted that when compared to the present agreement, the most recent previous agreement was for an increase of only around 1% to 1.5%.

“We didn’t want to play a lottery with the increase percentages - we always wanted to look back at how other professions moved forward [in terms of rising salaries], compare it to how educators did not advance in the same way, and address this problem,” the minister maintained.

“I believe that this agreement has successfully dealt with the issue.”

Asked whether he believed there could have been better communication with educators on what the increases involved and how they would affect the various teachers’ scales, Bartolo said that the government was communicating with each state school teacher individually to explain the details of any increases.

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“We are explaining to each state school teacher how the agreement will affect them,” he said, as he reiterated that he believed the pay shortcomings had been addressed.

MaltaToday had previously revealed how the higher allowances in the sectoral agreement, including a new resources allowance, did not make up the 28% increase educators had been promised.

The minister also said that, apart from increasing teachers’ salaries, the agreement also put in place quicker ways for educators to advance in their careers, and there would be increased investment in enabling certain persons in the teaching sector to get the qualifications they needed to obtain fixed employment.