In the protest, Kenneth Abela explained that he had been acting-manager in the gas division of Enemalta for the last 14 months and was supposed to be given the post permanently, according to an internal circular issued in February.

In April, claimed Mr Abela, he received a letter informing him that he was being indefinitely suspended from his job. This was because he allegedly passed on information about the health and safety conditions of his division to the authorities concerned.

Later on that month, Mr Abela was called back to work, but had been moved to the petroleum division of the corporation. The protest demanded the appointment of a disciplinary board to deal with this case as soon as possible so Mr Abela can resume his post as

acting-manager in the gas division.

The protest concluded that Mr Abela cannot be penalised for taking precautionary measures to safeguard the workers’ occupational health and safety.

The judicial protest was filed by Dr Tonio Azzopardi in the First Hall of the Civil Court