UĦM orders industrial action

Social workers, psychologists and other social welfare service employees have been ordered to cease all communication pending an agreement over their pay.

The UĦM Voice of the Workers ordered this industrial action among its members within the Foundation for Social Welfare Services following a failure to agree on the negotiation of a new collective agreement.

Isabelle Farrugia of UĦM said that discussions had come to a halt over the financial package.

The foundation is comprised of care agencies Appoġġ and Sedqa, and the majority of its 500 employees, which include social workers, psychologists, family therapists, counsellors, youth workers and clerical officers, are UĦM members.

Among other things, the social work profession is suffering a shortage, with these professionals seeking employment elsewhere because of emotional and mental burnout due to their work’s sensitivity and demands.

Apart from an attractive financial package for the FSWS employees, the union was also calling for continuous professional development and a system in place that would allow them progression in the various grades.

The union has been in discussion about the collective agreement for around a year, and the last it heard from the foundation’s CEO was on Friday.

The union ordered a series of directives as from Monday – including the refusal to use means of communication (mobile phones, e-mails and letters) and to participate in multidisciplinary meetings. Such meetings bring together vulnerable clients and professionals such as social workers and psychologists.

The union also warned that it would escalate the directives pending developments over the collective agreement.