The Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector, Jonathan Attard, presided over the signing of the best Collective Agreement for the legal grades within the Office of the Attorney General. The aim of this agreement is to continue strengthening the conditions of workers and legal professionals, while continuing to invest in the institution’s capacity and efficiency.
During the signing of the agreement, Minister Jonathan Attard explained that this is the second collective agreement signed since he became responsible for the justice sector, following the first signing for this Office in 2022.
“This agreement covers the legal grades within the Office of the Attorney General and reflects the Government’s commitment to continue investing sustainably in justice and in the professionals who work within it. We are continuing to strengthen the financial package so that it reflects the ever-growing responsibilities of the Office of the Attorney General, while also creating better conditions for the Office to attract and retain more legal professionals in the public service,” Minister Attard emphasized.
Dr. Attard also explained that this agreement does not focus solely on financial conditions but also strengthens incentives for study and continuous professional development through training, courses, and other professional opportunities.
The Minister noted that the Government has continued to invest substantially in the Office of the Attorney General, to the extent that the Office now benefits from a budget of €7 million, more than double what it had at the beginning of the legislature, while the latest budget registered a 27% increase over the previous year’s financial allocation.
He also remarked on the growth in the Office’s human resources. While in 2022 there were 26 lawyers and two legal procurators, today the Office includes 76 lawyers and 36 administrative officers.
Minister Attard stated that the reform in prosecutions is yielding concrete results, with increased capacity and specialization of prosecutors within different units, including those related to financial crimes, crimes against the person, terrorism, and crimes against property. He added that between October 2020 and September 2025, the Office opened 1,194 criminal cases, while 1,890 compilations were concluded. From January to September of last year alone, 57 indictments and 267 Article proceedings were issued.
The Minister thanked Permanent Secretary Johan Galea, officials within the Industrial Relations Unit (IRU), the United Workers Union (UħM), Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg, and all employees of the Office of the Attorney General for their work and collaboration throughout the negotiations.
Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg thanked all parties involved and stated that this agreement will continue strengthening the professionalism, capacity, and efficiency of the Office of the Attorney General for the benefit of justice and the Maltese and Gozitan people.
“The collective agreement we signed today is the second collective agreement for prosecutors and legal procurators within the Office of the Attorney General. The aim and purpose of this collective agreement is the retention of experience within the Office, as well as investment in the Prosecutors and Legal Procurators we have within this Office. The work carried out by this Office is unique work within the field of criminal justice, where the principles of professionalism and justice are applied, and these are reflected in this collective agreement,” stated Dr Buttigieg.
For his part, UħM Chief Executive Josef Vella emphasized the importance of this agreement in ensuring that legal professionals are provided with modern and sustainable conditions that reflect their responsibilities.
Among those present for the signing of this Collective Agreement were Permanent Secretary within the Ministry Johan Galea, Permanent Secretary within the Office of the Prime Minister Joyce Cassar, other representatives from UĦM, as well as representatives from the IRU.
