More than 500 retired port workers, and the heirs of deceased port workers, filed an application yesterday in the Civil Court, under the constitutional jurisdiction, claiming that the pension and contingency fund gratuity was not fairly distributed, which amounted to discrimination.

The people who filed the writ are those – or their heirs – who retired between 1973 and 2003. They explained that in 1990, the sub-committee working for the port workers’ rights asked the government to make a Lm500 gratuity payment from the pension and contingency fund.

This was done, and all those who retired that year or in previous years benefited from it. Then, in 1997, a similar request was made and a Lm250 gratuity was also paid out.

In 2003, however, a third gratuity, of Lm500, was only given to those who had retired on 1 March 2003. This, it is claimed, discriminated against workers who had retired before this date and had contributed more to the fund.

Prior to 2003, the gratuity was capped at a maximum of Lm8,000. This was removed, but only those employees who retired after 1 March 2003 could benefit from this. It is claimed that this is unfair and discriminatory.

The former port workers and the heirs of the deceased

complained to the authorities concerned, but although the discrimination was acknowledged, the workers claim that they were not compensated.

All 510 people are holding the Prime Minister, the Competitiveness and Communications Minister and the Malta Maritime Authority responsible for any damage they have suffered as a result of the way the gratuity was given.

The writ was filed in the first hall of the Civil Court, under the constitutional jurisdiction, by Dr Gavin Gulia