A PN government will grant an allowance to frontliners – including healthcare workers, those in the social fields, educators, and workers in disciplined forces, Opposition Leader Bernard Grech said while addressing a press conference on Monday about workers in the public sector.

The allowance will be given as an annual bonus equivalent to the four-week basic salary of the respective employee.

The PN will also improve the salary scales for all workers in the public sector which ‘reflects the market,’ thereby attracting the best talent to the public sector, Grech said.

Grech added that the PN is promising a change in the government-operated outsourcing policy to ensure that workers doing the same job will be paid equally.

The PN will also grant public sector workers who retire the equivalent of one year’s pay, that would be income tax exempt. Such payment will recognize the work and dedication of public sector workers, and works towards the aim of attracting as many people as possible to the public service. Grech said that this measure will take effect immediately.

A performance bonus system which rewards productivity and hard work will be implemented to increase efficiency, and will be extended to more public sector workers, Grech said.

The PN will implement a work-life balance package to strengthen family friendly measures in the first six months of a new PN government, Grech also pledged.

He said that telework and remote working will be strengthened with a minimum of one day of telework/remote working per week, and a maximum of four days. In the case of Gozitan workers working in Malta, the minimum will be of two days per week, Grech said.

Grech said that more days of sick leave will be introduced for cases when workers must care for their sick children or elderly relatives.