Between 120 and 130 workers were promoted at BOV. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

A board recently set up to address the grievances of Bank of Valletta employees, and which led to the promotion of between 120 and 130 workers, has caused a furore among some employees at the country’s leading financial institution, Times of Malta has learnt.

Sources said promotions were handed out across the board, at all of the bank’s staff levels, leaving other employees high and dry.

Several employees from different grades, including clerks and managers, spoke to Times of Malta about their concern.

“We are quite irked at how the promotions were given and this has resulted in a serious lack of motivation among those who were not even considered even though they were next in line for a promotion,” one irate employee said on condition of anonymity.

This has resulted in a serious lack of motivation

He claimed those who did not file a complaint with this new board, which was chaired by the head of human resources, were “sidelined” so that those with a grievance would “shut their mouths”.

When contacted, a spokesman for Bank of Valletta would not be drawn into commenting on the matter, saying this was an internal issue which it would not discuss with the media.

The current dispute between the bank, the Malta Union of Bank Employees and the General Workers’ Union over union recognition is not helping.

Sources said the timing of the bank’s decision to set up the board was “perfect” as the bank currently faces a limbo in regard to union recognition. In January, Bank of Valletta officially recognised the GWU’s Professional, Finance and Services Section as the sole union to collectively represent the bank’s employees. The recognition was communicated to the union in a letter sent by BOV chairman John Cassar White.

The bank said the decision to officially recognise the GWU as the majority union was taken following the confirmation that the absolute majority of employees were GWU members.

However, this irked the MUBE, which previously represented all clerical and managerial grades at the bank, so it took the matter to court and won a temporary injunction halting any negotiations between BOV and the GWU over the new collective agreement.

It told the court that the issue of union recognition was pending before an industrial tribunal in a bid to establish which of the two unions’ members were in the majority.

The union disagreed with the way promotions were handed out

When contacted about this situation resulting from decisions made by the Grievances Board, MUBE president William Portelli con-firmed that the union was “following closely” what was happening, adding that the union had assisted some of its members present their grievance before the board. However, he said, the union disagreed with the way promotions were handed out, complaining about “the serious lack of transparency” of the whole process.

He said the union was not in a position to register an industrial dispute over the matter because of the whole recognition issue but confirmed that it had informed the bank of its disagreement.

GWU section secretary Cory Greenland confirmed that a number of promotions had been given following the first-of-its-kind grievance procedure but could not give any numbers.

“There were several cases before the Grievances Board and we helped many of our members make their case. Those who had their complaint upheld are happy but there were others who were not. We have therefore already agreed with the bank that this board, which this time was set up ad hoc, will become a permanent structure through the new collective agreement,” Dr Greenland said.

He said those who had a complaint on the procedure or who felt aggrieved by any decision could still file their complaint with the human resources department and the union would take up the matter on their behalf.

Dr Greenland said the GWU was the recognised union and was acting as such even though the MUBE was doing everything in its power to stop this from happening.

He also blamed the competing union for the complaints on the grievance procedure, saying it was this union that was “fuelling” the complaints.

The employees that Times of Malta spoke to about the promotions were not union officials.

mxuereb@timesofmalta.com