A number of Malta Environment and Planning Authority workers who felt aggrieved after being denied a promotion and who appealed their case and which was accepted by an appeals’ board, have been left in the dark on whether they will be given a promotion, this newsroom has learnt.

Worthy of note is that the appeals’ board also ruled that some of the workers hadn’t reason to appeal and therefore their complaint was rejected by the board.

Initially, the workers had applied for the promotions and were interviewed and some were selected.

Since the workers whose complaint had been accepted are representatives of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, this newsroom called the union’s official dealing with the case in question - vice president Edwin Balzan.

Mr Balzan explained that according to the collective agreement, such workers had a right to appeal. Those who felt aggrieved had lodged their complaint according to the stipulated time-frames. But they haven’t heard anything ever since they were told that their complaint was accepted.

Mr Balzan said that after the union asked the chairman of Mepa what was going to happen next when he was informed of the appeals’ decision, the chairman said that he told the board that he hadn’t enough information for him to take a final decision and sent all the relevant documents back to the appeals’ board, meaning that things are back to where they started.

The union, Mr Balzan said, has now sent a legal letter to the chairman of the board, signed by lawyer Ian Spiteri Bailey and is waiting for an acknowledgement.

Mr Balzan said that the union would have to resort to other action in the event the union hears nothing.

Mepa confirms it received decisions from appeals board

Mepa’s management has confirmed with this newsroom that it received a number of decisions from the appeals board related to complaints submitted by a number of employees.

“The managment has sent its replies to the Appeals Board for its consideration pertaining to these decisions. The Appeals Board is set to meet in the coming days,” a Mepa spokesman said