Introduction On 18 June 2025, the Government of Malta, through the Ministry for Finance, launched a month-long public consultation on the introduction of an auto-enrolment occupational pension regime. This initiative seeks to strengthen long-term retirement savings by requiring employers to offer qualifying pension schemes and automatically enrol eligible employees, subject to an opt-out option. Which Legal Frameworks will be Impacted? Occupational pension plans in Malta are currently offered by two categories of licensed holders governed by distinct legal frameworks. These include Retirement Scheme Administrators, licensed under the Retirement Pensions Act, and long-term insurance undertakings, licensed under the Insurance Business Act.…
The EU Pay Transparency Directive has quickly become one of the most widely discussed legislative developments in employment law. With its transposition deadline of 7th June 2026, this Directive is drawing considerable attention from employers, employees, HR professionals and legal practitioners alike. While the Directive introduces new rights and obligations aimed at strengthening pay transparency and addressing the gender pay gap, the underlying principle of equal pay for work of equal value is not new to Maltese law. This principle has long been established under Article 27 of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, Chapter 452 of the Laws of…
On 6th June 2025, the Employment and Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act was published in the Government Gazette. This Act is set to come into force on 6th August 2025. The key amendment introduced by this legislation targets Article 45 of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act (Chapter 452 of the Laws of Malta), specifically by increasing the fines imposed on employers found in breach of employment law. Under the current law, an employer who violates any recognised condition of employment, whether set out in a national standard order, sectoral regulation order, collective agreement, or under Chapter 452 or any regulations…
