UHM Voice of the Workers has filed a judicial protest before the First Hall of the Civil Court against the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and the Chief Executive of the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS).

This course of action was taken after the Health Ministry failed to honour the agreement reached with UHM regarding professionals who used to work with Steward Healthcare, the union said.

The union said that on November 18 2020, the Ministry of Health had reached an agreement with UHM whereby professionals working with Steward Healthcare were to be absorbed into the FMS. Moreover, it had been agreed that the years of service spent with Steward Healthcare and Vitals Global Healthcare would be carried over, as if they had been employed with FMS from the very beginning. Furthermore, it was agreed that these employees would be given arrears as from 1 January 2019, it said.  

A copy of this agreement had been sent to Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, Clyde Caruana who at the time was the Head of the Secretariat of the Prime Minister, and Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar.

“Unfortunately, the Health Ministry did not keep its word as these employees were absorbed into the FMS without adding up the years of service and with no arrears. What sense does it make that professionals who worked side by side with other professionals, treating the same patients in the same wards, have been deprived of the principle of equal pay for equal work, in the context of the fact that union had been promised in writing that the matter was resolved, only for the ministry to fail to honour such agreement?” the union said.

 The Ministry’s decision means that these employees will suffer financial losses and other benefits during their career, the union said.

The UHM said that it has informed the court it is holding the Health Ministry legally responsible for such conduct and is reserving the right to take further action if the Ministry persists in its decision to renege on the agreement.