Over 220 workers within the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) will experience better working rights and conditions, including a 5% increase on their base salaries, as part of a new collective agreement signed.

This agreement between AWAS and the General Workers’ Union was signed in the presence of the Minister for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality Byron Camilleri.

Minister Camilleri referenced the importance of social dialogue during this meeting, stating that this is a result of such discussions. He also stated that “the Government shall continue investing in our most valuable resource: the worker.” The Minister also pledged that the Government will continue empowering workers’ rights to foster better working conditions.

The Secretary General of the General Workers’ Union, Josef Bugeja, expressed his satisfaction, highlighting the GWU's efforts to improve working conditions through social dialogue.

AWAS CEO Clayton Xuereb spoke about AWAS’s role within refugee welfare policy to bring appreciation towards his employees.

“This agency does a lot of work that locals do not see that despite this, is very important for AWAS’s beneficiaries and general Maltese society,” Xuereb said.

This collective agreement was signed by AWAS CEO Clayton Xuereb, representatives from the General Workers’ Union, including the Secretary of Government and Public Entities, Kendrick Bondin, as well as Permanent Secretary Emmanuel Psaila and officials from the Office of the Prime Minister.