Nurses in Malta have been ordered to go on strike due to a dispute in negotiations with the government aimed at improving their work conditions.

While the strike has been ongoing since Wednesday, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has opted against going public with its concerns… so far.

However, MUMN president Paul Pace told Lovin Malta that he will lay out details at a press conference next week if there are no developments from the government’s side over the weekend.

“People usually only notice these negotiations when they reach the media but they’ve been going on behind closed doors for months,” he said. “We often reach an agreement with the government in principle but the implementation of the agreement keeps getting postponed.”

“As far as I know, you should do your homework before agreeing to something.”

As part of the directives, nurses have been ordered not to wash patients, ambulate them to and from bed or accompany them to operating theatres.

Pace said he decided against publicising the strike when it was announced to give the government more time to implement the union’s demands, but a number of people have contacted Lovin Malta to warn a nurse strike is ongoing.

Have you been impacted by this strike? Let us know in the comment section