Local Teachers Start Receiving Emails With Updated Salaries

Jun 5 2024

Early Wednesday morning, educators in Malta received emails detailing proposed salary increases under a new collective agreement.

This agreement, supported by the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) after extensive negotiations with the government, promises significant financial benefits.

Educators, including heads, assistant heads, teachers, and Learning Support Educators (LSEs), were informed about the new salary structure. For teachers in scale 7, the current maximum salary of €35,325 will increase to €46,340 by 2027 under the new agreement.

The letter, signed by Matthew Vella, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, and Dr. Joyce Cassar, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, assured that once the agreement is signed, teachers will receive arrears backdated to January 1, 2023.

To address the managerial grade of scale 6, a new benefit up to €1,800 will be automatically added to existing benefits. Allowances, previously €5,700 until 2022, will increase to €10,300 in 2023, €11,300 in 2024, €11,800 in 2025, €12,300 in 2026, and €14,300 in 2027.

Teachers will also see an increased rate for supervision duties and the opportunity for more supervision. Additionally, a one-time payment of €1,000 will be issued upon signing the agreement.

This financial package excludes increases related to supervision, first-aiders, and other provisions in the Public Service Collective Agreement effective from 2025.

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PN MP Alex Borg Speaks In T-Shirt At PN Rally

Jun 5 2024

Nationalist MP Alex Borg took to the podium whilst donning a t-shirt – a rather unusual sight when it comes to such political discourses.

Politicians of the main two parties normally present such formal events with suits.

However, the Gozitan MP decided to deliver his speech, which highlighted the record amount of youth local council candidates, in a black t-shirt.

Borg acknowledged how many people asked him why he came to the event in a t-shirt. He said that a friend had told him to stay true to who he was before he entered the realm of politics, and thus used this to inspire the youth to be active in the political sphere.

What do you think?

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Yet Another Turtle Rescued From Fishing Line Entanglement

Jun 5 2024

Yet another turtle was rescued in the past few days after it was spotted having ingested fishing line and having flippers entangled.

A charter boat at Blue Lagoon noticed the turtle and when they realised it was in trouble,

The 420 Boat Charters boat immediately contacted Wildlife Rescue Team Malta and, despite not being the turtle being searched for at Comino, rescued the animal.

The turtle was named Nigel and transported to the Xrobb L-Għaġin Nature Park and Wildlife Rehab Centre.

Nigel is still undergoing a series of assessments, and the rescue team urges anyone who spots any such endangered animals to contact them.

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Spotify To Increase Premium Prices Again

Jun 5 2024

Spotify is raising rates for its monthly streaming plans in the U.S. for the second time in a year.

The Spotify Premium Individual plan will increase from $10.99 to $11.99 per month, and the Premium Family plan will rise from $16.99 to $19.99 per month.

Despite currently making changes in the US, measures like these will inevitably trickle down and reach users in Europe and, by extension, Malta.

These changes come after the company raised prices in July 2023, the first increase since launching in the U.S. in 2011. Subscribers will be notified via email and given a one-month grace period before the new prices take effect.

The Premium Duo plan, offering two accounts, will increase from $14.99 to $16.99 per month, while the Student plan remains at $5.99 per month, including Hulu with ads. Despite the hikes, Spotify’s prices will now be higher than Apple Music’s, which charges $10.99 per month for an individual plan and $16.99 for a family plan.

As of the end of Q1 2024, Spotify had 239 million Premium subscribers worldwide, a gain of 3 million. The overall listener base, including free and paid users, reached 615 million globally. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek stated that the company regularly assesses its value-to-price ratio and adjusts prices accordingly to continue delivering value to consumers.

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