The authorities turned down requests for detailed statements by nurses after the latter were told they were being overpaid, the nurses union has said.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, which has filed a judicial letter against the permanent secretary in the Health Ministry, said a number of its members were being informed by the authorities that they were being overpaid.

This was due to a mistake made by the health department, it added. The employees asked for a detailed statement about the alleged mistake in their wages, which the union deemed to be a “justified” request.

However, the request was being refused, the MUMN said.

The union is calling on the health authorities to take all the necessary steps to ‘immediately stop this practice and ensure detailed statements are issued

To make matters worse, the amount reportedly overpaid was being deducted from the nurses’ salaries without first informing the employees involved.

The nurses’ union is calling upon the health authorities to take all the necessary steps to “immediately stop this practice” and to ensure that detailed statements are issued when they are requested by staff members. The authorities, it added, should also ensure that no money is deducted from their salaries without the written consent of the employees.

The union said it was ready to discuss and cooperate with the authorities on this and other issues.

However, it also warned it was willing to take all the necessary action to safeguard the rights and interests of its members if the situation did not change or if this practice was repeated.