In what Finance Minister Edward Scicluna called a "moral obligation" from the government, it was today announced that €11 million from the upcoming budget will be given to sections of public workers who in the past did not receive money owed to them.

Addressing a press coverage at the Finance ministry alongside Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon, Scicluna said he felt the Government felt "morally obliged to do so".

The measures will apply to three different categories:

- Those who worked in public bodies who worked in goverment departments before officially entering the public service after 16 January 1979.

- Port workers (haddiema tax-xatt) who were licensed between 4 April 1973 and 1 June 2007.

- Police officials reimbursed for their overtime worked between September 1993 and 31 December 2009.

Falzon stated that, with regards to the latter, "the previous administration never paid for their overtime".

He went on to explain that one of the groups is the former workers of the Malta Electricity Board, who "after years of fighting for what they deserved, had a moral victory in court but could not benefit from the fruit because the case was time-barred."

"The Government felt like that time has come to find a solution for these people, as was decided by the Caibnet in 1970," he said.

Scicluna announced that 6,000 families "who felt they were treated in an unjust manner" will benefit from this incentive, given to the former workers or their heirs.

The families will receive their first payment this year, according to their case and terms and conditions of the schemes that were announced earlier this year. It was announced that payments will begin this week.

With regards to former members of the police corps and others, approximately 2,600 people, or their heirs will receive the payment this year. This year people born in 1955 and before, (and therefore retired or retiring this year), will be paid.

634 former port workers will be benefiting from the scheme and 2,439 police officials with positions of Police Constables, Sergeant or Sergeant Major who worked overtime. From these people 1,300 are still serving in the police corp, whilst 1,163 are either retired or have passed away. In the case of the latter, the individuals' heirs will benefit from the payment.

Scicluna concluded that such measures in the budget show that "the government thinks of everyone".