Government employees working at the three state hospitals managed by Steward Health Care are not being paid for their sick leave in full which is in breach of the employment law, the UĦM - Voice for the Workers said in a statement today. 

“This Union is informed that whenever an employee is on sick leave for a stretch of four or more days, they are only being paid for first three days. Consequently, in case of a prolonged illness employees are suffering a deduction in salary,” the statement read.

The Union was alerted on this illegal practice through its members who only discovered the deduction in their payslip. It transpired, the UHM said, that those who had been on sick leave for more than three days had a note saying that their sick leave benefit had been deducted.

By law government workers receive their sick leave payment by their employer and are eligible for at least 30 days fully paid sick leave annually.

Steward Health Care is breaching the provisions of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, specifically the one on the protection of wages, the Union remarked. Moreover, UĦM questioned the reasons behind this move given that Steward Health Care receives the full amount of the employees’ wages from the government.

“This is yet another example whereby Steward is profiting from illegally kept money, the union said. UĦM Voice of the Workers is requesting the Health Ministry to stop this illegal practice immediately and give workers the money they are due by the end of this week.”