MUMN gets no reply to request to start negotiations on new agreement

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses yesterday said it has not received a reply from the Health Department to its request to start discussions on a new agreement for nurses and midwives.

Although this notice was sent more than 15 days ago, up to now the MUMN has not been given a date on which these negotiations will start, the union said yesterday. The last agreement was signed more than four years ago.

“Nurses and midwives are waiting anxiously for this new agreement for various reasons – mostly because it addresses the shortage of nurses, professional development, salary adjustment and health and safety issues,” the union said in a statement.

The MUMN said it does not wish to prolong these negotiations for weeks and weeks. On the first day of negotiations, the MUMN said, it will be made crystal clear that the union expects a schedule of weekly meetings to be agreed upon for a maximum three months in order to reach a situation in which both parties know their position and take the necessary steps accordingly.

The MUMN said it has the full support of the nurses and midwives who are “constantly working in a stressful and less favourable environment because of staff shortages and ever-increasing demands.”