Members of the Armed Forces of Malta are to start being paid a €10.50 allowance for every hour they work over their 48 hours per week, the Home Affairs Ministry said.

This will bring into effect an agreement reached between the government and the General Workers' Union.

This arrangement, the ministry said, is to remain in effect until the end of the Maltese EU Presidency. It reflected the government’s appreciation of the work by done by army.

The ministry said that members of the Armed Forces were never paid for overtime even though they were asked many times to work additional hours over their 48.