Seven Public Broadcasting Services journalists have filed an application before the Industrial Tribunal alleging salary discrimination, The Malta Independent on Sunday has learnt.
The case, which was filed on Friday, claims that the last PBS journalist employed on a full-time basis this year, has been given a basic salary significantly higher than those of all other journalists – many of whom have been employed in the national broadcaster’s newsroom for a number of years.
When the PBS journalists learned of the situation last October, a number of them had attempted to solve the issue amicably with the state broadcaster’s management, but to no avail. Four others, those who are members of the General Workers’ Union, registered their complaints with the union.
In applications filed before the Industrial Tribunal on Friday, seven PBS journalists claim that a certain Rachel Baldacchino was hired by PBS after an internal call was issued last January for a full-time ‘Administrative Officer/Web’ with a matching basic salary, which is higher than those of the journalists. Ms Baldacchino had previously been on a contract of service with PBS, and was hired on a full-time basis after answering a PBS internal call for administrative officers.
The journalists, however, are claiming that in reality she is not fulfilling the duties of a higher-paid administrative officer but that she is, rather, working as a web journalist – performing exactly the same work they do: reporting, covering press conferences, travelling abroad as part of press delegations and holding a Department of Information press card.
In their complaint, the seven PBS journalists claim that since she does the same job they do, and not that of an administrative officer, PBS’ management was obliged to raise all their salaries to match that of Ms Baldacchino.
The journalists have also complained that PBS’ management failed to discuss the matter with them.
Instead, last Thursday PBS’ journalists received a letter from management informing them that “…the Board of Directors has approved a request made by the General Workers Union to assimilate all journalists at Public Broadcasting Services Ltd to Grade G. This means that as from 1 November 2015, your designation with PBS will be changed from Journalist in Grade F to Video Journalist in Grade G.”
According to the PBS Collective Agreement, Grade F employees are paid a basic salary ranging between €15,000 up to €20,000. With this last-minute upgrade, the journalists will have an annual salary increase of just €350, which, they say, means their salaries will still fall well short of Ms Baldacchino’s salary.
In their view, this attempt at a settlement was far from satisfactory. In fact, after receiving Thursday’s letter, signed by PBS Chief Executive Officer Anton Attard, seven of the 11 journalists, those who are not GWU members, decided to take legal action by taking their case to the Industrial Tribunal.
They are contesting that Thursday’s upgrade was insufficient, and they are demanding the same salary as Ms Baldacchino plus pro rata arrears from the date on which she was employed on a full-time basis.
The journalists who have filed complaints before the Industrial Tribunal are: Ruth Castillo, Fiorella Pace, Keith Demicoli, David Bonello, Sandro Micallef, Antonia Micallef and Nigel Mifsud. The four who took their complaint to the GWU are: Tony Dimech, Daphne Cassar, Rodney Vassallo and Brandon Pisani.
The lawyers who signed the application were Dr Stefano Filletti from Filletti and Filletti and Dr Matthew Brincat from Ganado Advocates.