Human rights violation claim

A man yesterday filed a judicial protest claiming that his fundamental human rights were breached because an adjudicator had not been assigned to his case before the Industrial Tribunal.

Louis Cristiano filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Courts against the secretary of the Industrial Tribunal, the Minister of Justice and Home Affairs and the Attorney General.

Mr Cristiano said he had an industrial dispute with St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation about his alleged unjust dismissal. Although his case was pending before the Industrial Tribunal it had not been assigned to any adjudicator, Mr Cristiano said.

He added that the first adjudicator had abstained from hearing his case last November and a second adjudicator had returned the record of the proceedings to the first one. As a result, no action had been taken about this case since November.

Mr Cristiano told the court he had suffered damages and the tribunal had violated his fundamental human right to a fair hearing.

Lawyer Owen Bonnici signed the protest.