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Transposition of the EU Whistleblower Directive into the Protection of the Whistleblower Act, Chapter 527 of the Laws of Malta Employment and Industrial Relations

Transposition of the EU Whistleblower Directive into the Protection of the Whistleblower Act, Chapter 527 of the Laws of Malta

This article was written by​ Dr Petra Attard and Dr Martina BonniciThe legislation currently regulating whistleblower protection in Malta is the Protection of the Whistleblower Act, Chapter 527 of the Laws of Malta (the ''Act'') which came into force on the 15th September 2013. While the Whistleblowing Directive EU 2019/1937 (the "Directive") has not yet been transposed into Maltese law, Bill 249 of 2021, titled An Act to Amend the Protection of the Whistleblower Act (the "Amending Act"), published on the 15th November 2021 seeks to amend the Act in order to align it with the Directive. It is yet…
Petra Attard
30th November 2021
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No Discrimination When the Employer Pursues a Genuine Occupational Need Employment and Industrial Relations

No Discrimination When the Employer Pursues a Genuine Occupational Need

This article was written by​ Dr Christine Calleja & Tessa Borg BartoloA landmark judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union ('the CJEU') in joined cases C-804/18 and C-341/19 was decided on the 15th July 2021 relating to the employer's ability to enforce certain conditions on employees in order to present a neutral image at the workplace. The facts of the cases involved individuals in Germany who were instructed by their respective employers not to wear the traditional Islamic headscarf (hijab) at their place of work. After the decisions of the local German courts were delivered, a preliminary ruling…
Christine Calleja
16th September 2021
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Court of Justice of the European Union Condemns UK for Breaching Ambient Air Quality Limits Employment and Industrial Relations

Court of Justice of the European Union Condemns UK for Breaching Ambient Air Quality Limits

On the 4th March 2021, the Seventh Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union issued its decision on an important matter related to the breach of ambient air quality legislation by the UK government (European Commission v. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, c-664/18). This case is only one among several others filed by the Commission against EU Member States, including France, Italy, Bulgaria and Hungary. Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe required Member States of the EU to adopt the air pollution limits contained within its Annexes by the…
Mark Soler
8th March 2021
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Ex-employee of the St John Co-Cathedral Foundation awarded €23,000 in damages for unfair dismissal Employment and Industrial Relations

Ex-employee of the St John Co-Cathedral Foundation awarded €23,000 in damages for unfair dismissal

An ex-employee of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation instituted proceedings before the Industrial Tribunal seeking compensation for unfair dismissal. The defendant Foundation argued that the ex-employee had committed several breaches throughout the years and that the final action of insubordination on his part had left the Foundation with no option other than to summarily dismiss him. The Tribunal commented that whilst the defendant had argued that the ex-employee had committed several abusive practices, its reaction towards such alleged abuses had always been lenient. A point worth mentioning is the fact that the disciplinary board which had been set up to…
Christine Calleja
19th February 2021
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Industrial Tribunal to have jurisdiction in case of termination of fixed term employment contracts Employment and Industrial Relations

Industrial Tribunal to have jurisdiction in case of termination of fixed term employment contracts

In the case of Waldemar Galea v l-Universita' ta' Malta, decided by the Court of Appeal on the 25th January 2019, it was held that due to the wording of the law in Chapter 452 (the Employment and Industrial Relations Act), cases of alleged unfair termination of fixed term employment contracts had to be decided by the normal civil courts and not by the Industrial Tribunal.Act LVIII of 2020, published on the 11th December 2020, now establishes that the definition of 'unfair dismissal' in the Act includes also the termination by the employer of a fixed term employment contract (except…
Christine Calleja
16th December 2020
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Bullying at Work Employment and Industrial RelationsNews

Bullying at Work

This week (the week from Monday 16th November 2020 until the 20th November 2020) is anti-bullying week – a week meant to raise awareness against prejudice and bullying not only in schools but also at the workplace and cyber-bullying. Maltese employment law does not deal directly with bullying but with harassment, and this in connection with discriminatory treatment or with sexual harassment. Does this mean that unless there is discrimination involved, the employer is not bound to protect employees from bullying at work?The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ('ACAS') in the UK defines bullying as behaviour from a person or…
Christine Calleja
17th November 2020