An amendment to enable workers on a definite contract to seek redress at an industrial tribunal was moved in parliament on Tuesday by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela.

Moving the amendment, he said this was the result of a court judgment in January which had queried whether an industrial tribunal had the competence to hear such complaints.

Abela said that this year, 97 new cases were moved to the tribunal by October and it decided 36 cases. 313 cases were pending.

He stressed that tribunals needed to improve for the number of cases to go down substantially noting that he was also not happy with the number of deferrals being requested.

The industrial tribunals, he pointed out, had been set up to enable workers to get a quick decision, but deferrals defeated the purpose.

Abela said it also did not make sense that there were around 30 cases that had been heard and were only waiting for a decision and appealed to the chairpersons to decide. 

He called for a discussion to be held with all stakeholders in near future to ensure that workers suffering an injustice received a good, studied decision in the shortest time possible.

Opposition spokesman Clyde Puli said the Opposition agreed with the amendment and would be voting in favour.

He called for the closing of all loopholes in the law and proposed that all Maltese workers should have a written work contract.