Workers to be seconded

Former employees of the Malta Development Corporation, the Malta External Trade Corporation and the Institute for the Promotion of Small Enterprise who had not agreed to join Malta Enterprise are to be assigned to government departments, local councils, public-private partnerships and private companies on a voluntary basis.

The General Workers' Union's services and media section and the parastatal section of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin said yesterday they had signed an agreement with Malta Enterprise chairman Joe Zammit Tabona over the workers who had either chosen not to join Malta Enterprise or were not accepted.

Those to be seconded elsewhere will be given the basic salary they had before, even if the salary at their new workplace is lower. Among the benefits such workers will keep are a medical insurance, a disability benefit and a death-in-service benefit.

According to recent arrangements, these workers should be given first preference whenever Malta Enterprise issues calls for applications in non-managerial grades.

The unions and the chairman also agreed to offer the workers four early retirement schemes, similar to those negotiated for workers of Malta Shipyards and the Public Broadcasting Services.

The workers have till June 30 to apply for early retirement.