Two new collective agreements have been signed between ARMS Ltd and the General Workers’ Union, covering 214 ARMS Ltd workers and 27 management employees within the same entity.
These agreements are the result of extensive work and discussions among all parties, aimed at strengthening employees’ working conditions, providing fairer recognition for their contributions, and continuing efforts to place ARMS Ltd in a better position to deliver an efficient, high-quality service to its customers.
Through these collective agreements, workers will benefit from improved financial packages, new measures for training and skills development, and initiatives to address anomalies in existing grades and structures. These improvements are intended to provide employees with greater certainty, motivation and opportunities, while strengthening the company’s operations.
During the signing, Minister Miriam Dalli said that these agreements reflect the Government’s commitment to continue improving workers’ conditions and to concretely acknowledge the work of those who, on a daily basis, provide an essential service to families and businesses.
“After months of work and constructive discussions, today we are delivering a concrete result for ARMS workers. These are workers who carry out very important work, directly with the public, and who have a crucial role in ensuring that services related to electricity and water bills are accessible, efficient and of high quality. We are not only improving their financial package, but also placing greater importance on training, skills development and fairer structures in the workplace,” said Minister Dalli.
The Minister stressed that this step should be viewed within the broader context of the Government’s work in favour of stability, service quality and support for families.
“Our work is not only to ensure that bills remain stable and subsidised for families and businesses, but also to strengthen services for people. For this to happen, we must invest in the people who deliver these services. ARMS workers are an important part of this public service chain, and it is therefore right that their contribution is recognised through better conditions, greater certainty and wider opportunities for progress,” said Minister Dalli.
ARMS Chief Executive Officer George Azzopardi said that the agreements will help further strengthen the company’s capacity to carry out its functions more effectively, while promoting a fairer, more modern working environment focused on continuous training. “This is an important day for us and a historic moment, during which, among other things, we also addressed certain anomalies that existed in workers’ grades. It was good, joint work that finally led to this agreement, which is a truly satisfactory one that addresses not only wage improvements but also creates new study initiatives for workers.”
The General Workers’ Union welcomed these agreements as an important step forward for workers. Riccarda Darmanin, GWU Section Secretary responsible for the management agreement, said that this was the first agreement of its kind and thanked all members for their support in reaching it. Kendrick Bondin, GWU Section Secretary responsible for the agreement covering the remaining workers, said that the agreement reflects what the GWU believes in: that we must always keep up with the times.
Photo:MEEC
