Updated 12.20pm with PN reaction
A total of 30,000 public service workers will benefit from a €17 million wage increase thanks to a collective agreement signed with unions this morning.
The agreement stipulates that the increase will shoot up to €20.5 million by 2024, which includes a hike in salaries and some allowances.
The eight-year deal will ensure stability while public administration will be able to carry out the necessary changes, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told reporters.
The new deal stipulates that employees who choose to work beyond pension age will now not lose their pre-retirement leave while those working on shift will see changes to their allowance.
Dr Muscat said the government aims to be a model employer, adding that his administration sought to cut bureaucracy and become more efficient.
The Nationalist Party said it would abide by the new collective agreement if it were elected to government.
Furthermore, it would also address the "massive injustices" in the civil service, it said in a statement.