A new collective agreement has been signed between the Joint Office and the General Workers' Union. Through this collective agreement, workers will benefit from pay increases and the introduction of new allowances.
The signing of this collective agreement will allow employees of the Joint Office to be absorbed by the Lands Authority once the functions of the Joint Office come to a close.
This agreement was signed by the Head of the Joint Office, Patrick Vella; the Head of the Industrial Relations Unit, Thomas Woods; the Secretary of the GWU's Government and Public Entities Section, Kendrick Bondin; and the Shop Stewart, Sara Ezabe.
The signing of this agreement took place in the presence of Culture Minister Owen Bonnici, Permanent Secretary Kevin Mahoney, Permanent Secretary Joyce Cassar, and GWU Secretary General Josef Bugeja.
Minister Bonnici said that this collective agreement will boost wage increases and allowances for employees with the aim of generally improving their compensation and benefits packages. He noted that collective agreements do not only serve a financial purpose, but also serve as inspiration for future employees as they look to provide clear guidance on working conditions.
"This is truly a government that invests in our workers, and our aim is to provide fair and appropriate pay to its employees for their work. Together we are working for our workers to have the opportunity to continue advancing in their personal careers," Minister Bonnici said.
The Head of the Joint Office, Patrick Vella, stated that "the collective agreement will guarantee better working conditions for the employees of the Joint Office, while making the unit more attractive for the recruitment of new workers." He added that this signed agreement is identical to the one signed for employees of the Lands Authority.
Vella continued that through a side letter signed between the Joint Office, the Authority, the workers' representatives, and the Industrial Relations Unit, "it has been guaranteed that all employees of the Office will have the possibility of being absorbed by the Lands Authority when the function of the Joint Office ends."
The Joint Office was established through the 1991 agreement between the Maltese State and the Holy See, with the aim, among others, of administering transferred property and registering property on behalf of the Government of Malta. The Joint Office's legal identity was established in 2024 when it was recognised as a specialised unit in public administration. This allowed for the facilitation of administrative processes, including those relating to finance, procurement, recruitment and human resources management.