Hospital technicians who service life-saving specialized medical equipment are being denied an annual allowance promised in their sectoral agreement, the Malta Union for Midwives and Nurses said on Wednesday.
In a press conference outside the Health Ministry in Valletta, MUMN president Paul Pace said that some 24 workers who work in the engineering division at Mater Dei Hospital had been fighting the government to receive an annual sum of €2,500 as set out in their sectoral agreement since 2019.
However, for unknown reasons, the government has refused to meet with union representatives or discuss the matter in any capacity while ignoring union directives that have been in place since December, Pace said.
He added that instead of finding ways to resolve the matter, the ministry had instead opted to hire an outside contractor to carry out the duties impacted by directives.
“I don’t understand how we can pinch our pennies with experienced local workers then throw money around when it comes to direct orders and private contractors,” Pace said.
“These people are heroes. Without their work we would not have lifesaving equipment, they make sure that the hospital is a safe place for both patients and the people who work there.”
Union representatives said that according to an agreement signed in 2017, the 24 employees who work in the engineering division and are responsible for life support systems on specialised medical equipment at Mater Dei, are entitled to the allowance. However this has not been paid out to them since 2019, while colleagues in the same division had received it.
The unions insisted that the workers performed the same duties and are at the same technical grade as their colleagues.
“It’s scandalous for the health department to treat workers differently when they are performing the same work,” Pace said.
“You cannot kick workers to the side and then take unions to court when they issue directives.”
Pace also called for the resignation of Permanent Secretary Joseph Rapa for “failing to protect workers”.
“This issue has been dragging on for four months, this is something that we typically resolve over the phone,” Pace added.
“I urge the Government to come and dialogue on this issue and resolve it today before tomorrow so that these people can receive what they are owed”.
The directives, issued on December 9, means that workers are currently not monitoring the Mater Dei electrical power standby generator, nor performing monthly load tests on the grid for standby generators or health checks on the hospital’s power network.