Woman awarded €800,000 over gender discrimination
Victoria Cassar won her court case against the Port Workers Board after she was not allowed to take her father’s job when he retired.
A woman who suffered gender discrimination by not being allowed to become a port worker was awarded almost €800,000 in compensation.
Victoria Cassar sued the Port Workers Board in 1993, telling the court that her father, port worker Carmelo Abela, had retired from work in August 1992.
The filling of a vacant post among port workers was regulated by the 1996 Port Worker Regulations, which stipulated that eligibility to fill a vacancy was limited to the eldest son of a port worker.
Ms Cassar said she was the eldest of her father’s three daughters and that the Port Workers Board had not allowed her to fill her father’s vacant post on the basis that she was a woman.
She then discovered that her father’s brother had applied to be registered as a port worker in her father’s place and his application had been accepted by the board.
She therefore demanded damages on the basis that she had suffered a financial loss.
In 2002, the Constitutional Court had ordered the Port Workers Board to allow her to register herself as being eligible to be a port worker as from 1992.
Mr Justice Silvio Meli, hearing the case for damages, noted that Ms Cassar was a Bank of Valletta employee with a salary that was considerably lower than what she would have earned as a port worker.
The difference between the two salaries in the period between 1993 and 2010 amounted to €288,868. To this sum, the court added €53,000 that represented benefits received by port workers and €457,300 representing the difference between Ms Cassar’s bank salary and that of a port worker until her retirement.
The court said it took account of the attitude of the board, which continued to deprive Ms Cassar of her rights despite previous court judgments.
In total, Ms Cassar was awarded €799,168 in damages.
Lawyer Frank Cassar appeared for Ms Cassar.
Popular Stories
Old buses, drivers to return
Former Judge Ray Pace found dead
Updated: Minister apologises for...
Three new Nationalist MPs elected –...
Where’s Everybody staff is given notice
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Update 3 - Woman trapped as car crashes...
Revealed...the face of a Maltese woman...
PL reacts as PN labels Franco Debono's...
In Discussion
Old buses, drivers to return
Updated: Minister apologises for...
PL reacts as PN labels Franco Debono's...
Updated - Director of Prisons submits...
Enemalta seeking minimum five year gas...
Protected birds shot and trapped as...
Mario de Marco, Zammit Dimech concede,...
PN postpones salaries as financial...
Updated - PM's offer to Opposition MPs...
11 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
G Schembri
Nov 17th 2012, 17:58
So this is a win win situation for the Cassar Family, the uncle gets to keep the job, while the niece gets 800,000 euro from the tax payers' money. In a democratic country no family has the right to stop others from opening the same business here we pay someone who says suffered gender discrimination, with taxes paid by people who never had a chance of getting that job even if more qualified.
B. Farrugia
Nov 17th 2012, 16:57
I salute those who fight for their rights. and congratulate them when they are vindicated.
Joseph Gauci
Nov 17th 2012, 16:53
Hsibtu li l job tax xatt xi xoghol facli? Tghamel 8 hours got trakk idur fl istess post minn fuq stakk ghal ohra. Tghamel 8 hours ohra xita u xemx xi 4 sulari gholi fuq vapur minghajr ilqugh tholl u torbot il containers, u meta jkun imissek latching xi 8 hours ohra b'xi hadida 3 high (sulari) f idejk torbot il containers. U l job tax xatt m ghadux jintiret jigifieri ma nafx ghala qed tparlaw.
victor caruana
Nov 17th 2012, 15:29
And those on the board responsible for this discrimination should also be given a bonus.....make up the taxpayers loss or some years in jail!
John Dee
Nov 17th 2012, 13:23
Surely employment should be based on ability rather than family connections?
Joe Scerri
Nov 17th 2012, 12:50
The biggest discrimination is that such work is inherited and not open to anyone. What does the EU have to say about this?
Andrew James Brown
Nov 17th 2012, 13:30
Inherited? Only in Malta
Mario Busuttil
Nov 17th 2012, 14:14
Agree.....Tajjeb li kieku kull Job jibqa jintiret ghand il familjari......
James Dimech
Nov 17th 2012, 12:34
And how much should the Maltese sue the port workers for keeping their monopoly for years, blocking everyone from entering the trade except their children ?
Paul Bonello
Nov 17th 2012, 12:24
The Maltese Government portrays itself as a keen champion of democracy and anti-discrimination through Constitution and legislative enactments conforming to EU Council Directives. Yet in practice it consistently disparages women and other sectors such as non-nationalist party sympathizers, regarding them as an inferior class. Its a relief to know there is a judge checking out these abuses of power
Joseph Vella
Nov 17th 2012, 10:36
Fascinating. I wonder whether the CIR will realise that the emoluments of port workers have now been established.
I wonder whether emoluments of all said workers should be revised from 1993 on, and taxed fully accordingly.
Please choose the reason of your report below: