The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) has initiated  legal action against its rival union, the Union of Professional Educators (UPE), over what it deems a defamatory incident.

In an announcement made on Saturday, the MUT disclosed that it had filed a libel lawsuit in response to an alleged defamatory article published by the UPE. This article had also been the focal point of a press conference by the UPE just last week.

During the aforementioned press conference, the UPE made it known that it would not be participating in the strike planned by the MUT for November 27th.

The MUT had issued several directives and declared a strike for teachers after negotiations with the government failed to produce an agreement on the sectoral or collective terms.

Meanwhile, the UPE contended that the MUT had been negotiating solely on matters like working conditions and allowances, neglecting to address the fundamental issue of teachers’ basic salaries. According to the UPE, this basic salary was slated to remain unchanged until the conclusion of 2024.

However, the MUT maintained that the UPE was not part of the ongoing negotiations regarding the sectoral or collective agreement. It argued that this exclusion did not grant the UPE the right to make defamatory remarks concerning the MUT and its leadership.

The MUT firmly asserted that the UPE had no authority to issue defamatory statements regarding the ongoing negotiation process between the MUT and the government.

The statement issued by MUT emphasized that acting as a strike-breaker and attempting to disrupt negotiations was unequivocally reprehensible. Furthermore, it stated that fabricating and disseminating defamatory statements amounted to a breach of the law and would not be tolerated by the MUT.

What do you make of this libel suit?