A new collective agreement was signed today between Housing Projects Solution Ltd, an entity that forms part of the Ministry for Social and Affordable Housing, and UĦM – Voice of the Workers. Through this agreement, which is the first of its kind, and which will cover a four-year period between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2028, 22 employees in the ranks of foreman and tradesperson will see improvements in their wages and conditions of employment.
The employees concerned will receive an annual collective increase ranging from €1,290 to €1,358 for the grade of foreman and from €1,175 to €1,233 for the grade of tradesperson. In addition, both grades will receive an increment increase of €354 and €336 respectively, until they reach the maximum salary for their grade.
At the same time, these employees will receive an annual allowance of €650. In addition, employees who are skilled and whose duties fall under their respective skill cap and are certified by Management will receive an additional annual allowance of €1,700.
The new collective agreement was signed by the Chairman and CEO of Housing Projects Solution Ltd George Meli and George Lauria respectively, as well as by Mario Sacco and Antoinette Aquilina, Director and Senior Manager of the UĦM Public Entities Section. Present for this signing were the Minister for Social and Affordable Housing, Roderick Galdes, the Permanent Secretary Emanuel Psaila and the Head of the Industrial Relations Unit within the Public Service, Thomas Woods.
After the signing of the collective agreement, Minister Galdes stated that this is a collective agreement that will offer better wages and working conditions to the employees concerned. “Through this agreement we are continuing to put the worker at the forefront, especially when we are recognising the importance of the skills they have among their personal skills. It is not just a financial issue, but such an agreement is a message that as a government we care about the skills of our workers and that this deserves the importance it deserves.”
Antoinette Aquilina stated that the UĦM – Voice of the Workers welcomes this new collective agreement as a significant step towards ensuring better working conditions and financial stability for the affected employees. “This agreement ensures that employees receive well-deserved increases during the respective period. The UĦM remains committed to improving the working conditions of its members as well as ensuring that they are given fair compensation for the performance of their duties”.
