Social welfare employees receive salary, arrears due soon

Employees at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services have been paid their basic salary and are due to receive the promised arrears this week, Josef Vella, from the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, told The Times.

The union called off industrial action at the foundation last Friday after receiving a commitment on payment from the Social Policy Ministry's permanent secretary Joseph Ebejer.

The 600-odd employees were due to receive their June salary based on a new collective agreement, arrears owed to them and the quarterly bonus on June 20. But most of them did not receive what they were owed, triggering a dispute between the union and the foundation, made up of Sedqa, Appoġġ, Sapport and Adult Training Centres.

Mr Vella said the foundation has since written to the employees apologising for the inconvenience and informing them that it had asked the company that handles its financial matters to investigate what caused the problem.

Last week, the foundation said the problem arose after the financial company changed its payroll system, which contributed to delays in issuing the salaries.

Mr Vella said the union has asked those employees who could have been fined for not meeting financial obligations - including in the case of loan payments - to contact it. The union will be pushing the foundation to pay any fines workers incurred due to the problem.