April 8, 2016 at 1:01 pm
MUT issues Directive on fingerprints
Following communication with the Minister for Education and Employment on the matter, the MUT is directing all its members at the St. Margaret College Cospicua Middle School as follows. If requested by the police or any other authority connected to the case of theft from the school, members are only obliged to provide their basic personal details (name, ID number and grade) and not their fingerprints. Should anything different be requested, members are encouraged to contact the Union for assistance.
In its communication with the Minister, the MUT mentioned a number of reasons for this directive, including that the theft occurred during the carnival holidays, which is a day when educators were not at the school. Another reason is that the police did not even bother to check the camera recordings on the school security system even though they were asked to do so by the Head of School. Apart from this, the Union noted that the police did not carry out a proper investigation so much so that the police were unaware of who was on duty on the day of the theft, who had access to the staff-room when the school was closed for children, who was abroad during holidays and therefore could not have stolen the cash, and who was on sick leave. Instead, all staff are being requested to give their fingerprints.
Also, the MUT is informed that the inspector who addressed the staff has reportedly used a very arrogant tone, so much so that one teacher reported that when she asked what would happen if she had to refuse to give her fingerprints, she was told “Toħroġ tibki minn hawn!”.
In conclusion, the Union, while having no qualms with helping with the investigation and encourage its members to do so as well, has no other option but to issue this directive to stand up to this type of bullying on its members.
In a separate note, the MUT thanks the Ministry for Education and Employment and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Councils for the positive resolution of the Rabat SPMC issue.
