The office of Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar would not say how many definite work contracts within the public sector were changed to indefinite posts before the last election.

Refusing a Freedom of Information request, Mr Cutajar said that the information requested was being turned down, as according to the law “the document requested is not held by the public authority [his office] and the person dealing with the request has no grounds for believing that the document is held by, or connected more closely with the functions of, another public authority”.

OPM sources described this response as “very strange”, as public servants who had their contracts transformed from definite to indefinite had followed a government directive issued by Mr Cutajar.

Two weeks before the announcement of the last general election, which took place in June, Mr Cutajar issued a directive in which he wrote that in order to continue to improve the conditions of employment of public sector employees, all those who were on a definite, time-barred contract would have their employment conditions transformed into an indefinite contract.

Mr Cutajar instructed all government entities and agencies ensure that his directive was implemented within 10 working days from its publication.

The decision was interpreted by many in the civil service as a measure to appease the government employees who were on a definite contract at a time when Malta was facing the eve of a general election.

Last March, this newspaper asked Mr Cutajar’s office how many public sector employees had benefited from his directive and to give details on the number of beneficiaries per public entity.

The FOI request was sent after Mr Cutajar’s office ignored the questions on the same subject that this newspaper had sent through normal channels.

This newspaper has now filed a complaint regarding the refusal, asking for a revision as it deems that the requested information is in the public interest.

Mr Cutajar’s contract directive was not applicable to hundreds of people who occupied positions of trust. They were mostly engaged by Cabinet ministers in their private secretariats.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com