TMID Editorial: The irony behind the new public service collective agreement

It was an important occasion last Friday as the government and 10 unions signed a new collective agreement for the public service.As from 1 January, 33,000 workers will be benefiting from higher wages and allowances that collectively mean that the go

By: independent.com.mt

Dec 04 2024
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TMID Editorial: The irony behi

It was an important occasion last Friday as the government and 10 unions signed a new collective agreement for the public service.

As from 1 January, 33,000 workers will be benefiting from higher wages and allowances that collectively mean that the government will be paying out €1.27 billion more over the next six years.

It is the first time ever that such a wide-ranging agreement was signed before the expiration of the existing one. It is normal that collective agreements are signed after the previous one ends, with the new salaries and conditions backdated.

That the government and the unions managed to come to terms after a relatively short negotiating time is a feather in their cap. We all know how often negotiations drag on and lead to industrial action. It was only last year that the Malta Union of Teachers ordered a one-day strike before, eventually, a deal was reached with the government. And, right now at MCAST, lecturers are following MUT directives as talks on a fresh agreement go on.

The agreement signed last Friday will mean a 3.85% increase in the yearly income of the employees, and this includes the allowances. All salary scales will be upped, and those at the bottom - Scale 20 - will be able to move up to higher scales at a faster than is possible at this moment in time. Over-time rates will be equivalent to the different scales, rather than follow a standard rate which is paid to one and all irrespective of the grade. A long-service bonus will also be introduced. On-call and shift allowances will also increase.

So where's the irony in all this?

The new collective agreement lays down that workers who obtain qualifications, from diploma onwards, will benefit from improved rates from 2027; those who obtain a Master's degree and others who already have one but did not benefit from it in their role will automatically pocket a better pay in January 2025. It was explained to the media that this is an incentive for people to continue their studies.

So the irony is that this new collective agreement, one which is encouraging public service workers to study more to progress in their career and be given higher positions with a better salary, was being signed as the government is facing a crisis which is specifically linked to qualifications.

Two ministers were found to have breached ethics when they awarded a job to the wife of one of them without her having the necessary qualifications. One of them, Clayton Bartolo, resigned after it was alleged his wife, Amanda Muscat, also received a kickback from a deal reached with the Malta Tourism Authority. The other one, Clint Camilleri, is facing calls for his resignation.

So while the government was finalising details on the new collective agreement for the public service which will see workers rewarded for their studies, it is tackling a case of pure nepotism that has rocked it to the core.

Public service workers who do their job with dedication and commitment, and who seek to further their studies will have taken the news that their qualifications matter more than whether they are close to a minister with a pinch of salt.