Seven thousand public officers in industrial, trade and technical grades as well as those known as General Service will benefit from better working conditions through the signing of three collective agreements, the government said in a statement.

The signing was presided over by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana during the Public Service Expo 2024 themed ‘Investing in Skills’.

The public officers who will be positively impacted by these agreements, which have not been revised since the nineties, play a crucial role in ensuring a seamless Public Administration that offers high quality services. These agreements now include restructured grades and scales which reflect responsibilities that have evolved over the years.

For the first time, an allowance related to Public Service classes has been introduced to attract new employees together with a performance bonus that evaluates an employee’s delivery. Furthermore, through these agreements, trainee programmes in the trade and technical sectors can be introduced to attract students in their early years of studies.

Agreements such as the ones signed today will continue fostering attractiveness and competitiveness within the Public Service whilst retaining existing public officers, the government said.

During the past two years 66 agreements were concluded and signed, positively impacting around 14,000 employees.