MUMN orders industrial action for social workers and ECG technicians

Social workers represented by the MUMN, the Union for Midwives and Nurses, and who are not employed with the Foundation for Social Welfare Services have joined an industrial action which was started off by ECG technicians.

MUMN has sent a letter to all its social workers ordering them not to cover medical firms who do not have a social worker assigned to them, not to answer phone calls, not to take any referrals and not to follow up patients who fail to attend their visits, among other things.

The union has ordered the industrial actions as discussions over better conditions for Social Workers and ECG technicians hit a brick wall.

“The discussions to sign a new sectoral agreement for the social workers employed within the public service are taking extremely long. On the other hand, the conditions of work for these professionals are worsening on a weekly basis. New graduates are not tempted to be employed to join our members because of the negative environment at their place of work,” MUMN said in a letter to Dr Joyce Cassar, the Director at Public Administration Human Relations Office of the government.

“The government is not sensitive enough to the continuous deteriorating working conditions of these employees who in turn are doing miracles to offer a decent service to their clients. Another sore point is the fact that these are the only professionals in the Health and Elderly Departments that are not entitled for the funds to continue developing their profession.”

The letter to Dr Cassar was sent on 7 October and MUMN Secretary General Colin Galea had warned of the possible industrial action.