The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the foundations of most economies around the world and the little island of Malta was not immune to the economic blow. With an economy which relies mostly on tourism, the island was brought down to its knees when, all of a sudden, borders were closed and most businesses were forced to close their doors.
The EFL sector, which usually commands anything between 3 to 4% of the GDP from tourism, was one of the hardest hit. Totally reliant on tourism to run effectively, and with cancellations pouring in, the straw which broke the camel’s back arrived on March the 13th, when all schools were instructed to close.
It was then that the dark truths which had lain hidden suddenly began to surface. The sector had gone unregulated for decades, not quite the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism, and not quite the responsibility of the Ministry of Education: thus, when Covid wage supplements were announced by the government, the ELT sector did not appear to fit into these arrangements anywhere.
It was then that the EFL industry reached out to the UPE. The sector was not unionized and, from what surfaced in interviews with incoming members, many employers had been strongly discouraging affiliation. Teachers had acquiesced to their employers’ opposition out of fear of losing their livelihoods, but now there was nothing to lose as the threat of going through a lockdown with no income loomed over their heads.
The UPE acted promptly and a few days later a new package was announced in which the EFL sector was included. This was a short-lived moment of relief: most of the teachers were on 0-hr contracts and were therefore not eligible for the grant. The UPE again did all it could to ensure that teachers would be guaranteed some form of grant, and it was finally determined that the grant would be calculated on the income received for the first 2 months of 2020.
Memberships started rolling in copiously, and many problems began to surface. Most employers had no issues with their employees joining a union, and when recognition was sought in 3 schools, no significant problems arose with 2 of the 3 schools. The third school, Clubclass, stood out for its resistance to the verification process. The owner would refuse to communicate with the union, and any other intimations from third parties asking him to initiate amicable communication with the union, were ignored and dismissed.
Members of the UPE working at Clubclass were livid. It was then that following consultation it was determined that directives would be issued in three parts. The first directive severed communication between the school and the teachers. In the meantime, the DIER called a meeting which Clubclass ignored. The next directive stopped the flow of admin work by way of not handing in lesson plans and attendance sheets. Nothing came out of this either.
The union then called a meeting with the members, and a unanimous vote in favour of a strike was taken. And on the 6th of July, the first day of the strike, the teachers stood outside their school, backed up by the UPE, loudly chanting their demand for immediate recognition. The strike continued because the school continued to refuse to communicate with the union, until finally the union received a communication from the DIER stating that the school was willing to attend a conciliatory meeting on the 17th of July.
During that meeting it was determined that the school would hand in all the documentation required for verification by no later than the 24th of July. This time the school punctually handed in the documentation and with an 83% of teaching staff affiliated to the union, the UPE was granted recognition.
This was just the first step, a first victory against a system which has dictated its own rules for decades. The UPE, and its members in the EFL industry, are fully aware that this first victory does not constitute an overall victory, and that a great deal still needs to be done. The union will now continue working towards a resolution of the various problems which have not been addressed to date and will do all it can to ensure that working conditions improve, livelihoods are safeguarded, and EFL teachers’ voices are never again forced into silent submission.
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July 28, 2020 11:22 pm
What the UPE members there is something English Language Teachers should be doing in every school they get the chance to work in.
That school will keep that recognition agreement and that will be a better safer more respectful workplace with a stronger likelihood of winning benefits and more frequent pay increases for their staff. They will have better outcomes for workers’ and teachers’ families… and greater stability for managers and students.
Macho business owners who would prefer hard-man bully tactics are living in a patriarchal past which good teachers want to teach their students to move well well beyond… These type of ‘leaders’ can’t represent real progressive leadership or the progressive values which sustain a progressive educational institution- just the opposite.
Well done to these teachers on helping develop a measurably better relationship with a VERY reluctant owner-operator hoping to profit from the ClubClass name. Solidarity wins.
Teachers taught their most important lesson: more people win more often in a safe democratic workplace and country. UPE’s a good union. And now ClubClass is a better school.
Well done English Language Teachers! There’s power in a union!