Industrial and Employment Relations Department
Contents
Making a query or lodging a complaint about conditions of employment
Placing a claim about conditions of employment
Buying copies of Regulations and Conditions of Employment (Regulation) Act / Wage Regulation Orders
Applying for a licence to operate an employment agency or employment business
Renewing a licence to operate an employment agency or employment business
Registering a trade union or employers' association
Consulting our industrial Tribunal Awards archives
 
 
The Department of Industrial and Employment Relations' primary role is to protect persons who carry out gainful activities under various types of employment contracts.
Our mission statement is "to protect the interests of workers holding employment contracts while, in a spirit of social partnership, actively promoting a healthy employment relationship, and to contribute towards stable industrial relations".
The Department's activity is directed towards:
1. Conditions of Employment:
  • providing effective machinery for the establishment of standard conditions of employment, in consultation with the social partners and for the application of such conditions and their enforcement
  • regulating employment contracts in an equitable manner so as to ensure that the rights and obligations pertaining to each party are respected
  • protecting workers whose employment relationship has been terminated by an employer
  • eliminating discriminatory practices.
2. Industrial Relations:
  • providing avenues for the voluntary settlement of trade disputes and promoting such settlements, and
  • keeping a register of trade unions and employers' associations.
3. Other affairs relating to employment:
  • co-ordinating with other governments or bodies which have a role in protecting the interests of parties engaged in an employment contract
  • maintaining contacts (at a technical level) with international bodies, including the ILO and the Council of Europe, with regards to international obligations ratified by Malta in the field of labour.
 
 
Making a query or lodging a complaint about conditions of employment
Our Inspectorate and Enforcement Section offer assistance to employees who require assistance regarding conditions of work or termination of employment. If you wish to make a query or lodge a complaint, you may contact us by phone, send us an e-mail or fax or call personally at the address shown below.
We will do our best to answer your query promptly, however, there may be instances where we would need to conduct an investigation to give you the information you need. In these cases we commit ourselves to providing you with the information you need as soon as possible.
Placing a claim about conditions of employment
If you wish the Department to initiate a formal claim on your behalf regarding any outstanding wages, bonuses, etc. you will need to call personally at the address listed below. Please remember to bring with you any documentation relevant to your case which will aid us in our investigations.
You will receive notice from us on action initiated on your case not later than 10 working days from the date you make your claim and we will subsequently inform you of progress made within a month.
Our address and contact details are:
 
 
Address: Inspectorate and Enforcement Section
Department of Industrial and Employment Relations
109, Triq Melita
Valletta CMR 02
Telephone: 21224245/6, 21224209
Fax: 21232481, 21243177
E-mail: ind.emp.relations@gov.mt
If you wish to call personally, you may do so from Monday to Friday:
 
 
  • in Summer (16th June to 30th September): from 8.00a.m. till noon, and
  • in Winter (1st October to 15th June): from 8.00a.m. till noon and from 1.15p.m. till 4.00p.m.
We commit ourselves to respecting the confidentiality of your communications with us. In most cases we will see you within 20 minutes when you call at our Inspectorate and Enforcement Section.
Buying copies of Regulations and Conditions of Employment (Regulation) Act / Wage Regulation Orders
You may buy copies of the Conditions of Employment (Regulation) Act and updated copies of our Wage Regulation Orders from our Inspectorate and Enforcement Section at the same address and during the business hours shown above. The prices for each publication are as follows:
Wage Regulation Orders €0.58  each 
Conditions of Employment (Regulation) Act €2.33
Complete set of Wage Regulations Orders € 11.65
Applying for a licence to operate an employment agency or employment business
All employment agencies need to be registered as specified in the Employment and Training Services Act 1990 as amended by Legal Notices 126 and 127 of 1995, 96 of 1997 and by the Employment Agencies Regulations of 1995. Kindly contact our Employment Agencies Section between Monday and Friday at the address shown under "Contacting us" below for a copy of the necessary application forms.
After you notify us of your intent to operate an employment agency or employment business we will pay you a visit to check the suitability of your business premises and verify that they are accessible to people with disabilities. You will then need to submit a completed application form which you may obtain from our offices or download from our website at http://www.gov.mt/services/socialserv/departments/department_indust.htm. You will also need to send a cheque for €349.41  payable to The Director, Department of Industrial and Employment Relations.
We will send you your 'Licence to operate an Employment Agency or Employment Business' via mail within 21 days from the day you submit your application. This licence is to be displayed in the waiting area of your business premises.
Renewing a licence to operate an employment agency or employment business
Your licence needs to be renewed annually. One month before your licence expires we will send you a reminder. Kindly inform us of any changes made to the original licence not later than one month before the proposed change is to become effective. You also need to send a cheque for €349.41 payable to The Director, Department of Industrial and Employment Relations.
We will send you your new certificate by post within two working days together with a receipt for the amount paid.
Registering a trade union or employers' association
Every trade union and employers' association is required to register with the Registrar of Trade Unions. All applicant organisations should have a minimum of 7 members and are to present the following on application:
  1. the statute conforming to the regulations outlined in the Industrial Relations Act
  2. a list of registered members,
  3. copies of members' enrolment forms, and
  4. a filled-in application form.
You may contact us for a copy of the application form or download it from our website at http://www.gov.mt/services/socialserv/departments/department_indust.htm. You may then hand it in personally or send it by post to our Industrial Relations Section at the address shown under "Contacting us" below.
We will send you an acknowledgement of your application within three working days and will send you your Certificate of Registration by post within a month, provided your organisation satisfies the criteria set out in the Industrial Relations Act.
Once you have successfully registered your trade union or employers' association with the Registrar, you will need to submit annual returns as specified in the government notice issued in the Government Gazette in June. These should include:
  1. the number of paid-up members as at June 31,
  2. details of committee members,
  3. a copy of your annual report
  4. an audited copy of your financial accounts.
These are received by the Registrar who reserves the right to verify any of the above, especially in cases where a claim to legal recognition of a trade union or association is under investigation
The Register of Trade Unions and Employers' Associations is public and may be accessed by either calling at our department or our website at http://www.gov.mt/services/socialserv/departments/department_indust.htm
Consulting our Industrial Tribunal awards archives
The Industrial Tribunal deals with cases of alleged unfair dismissal and trade disputes. Please note that if you wish you present a case of unfair dismissal, you need to apply in writing to the minister responsible for labour within four months of the date of dismissal.
Our Industrial Tribunal Section houses an archive of all the awards issued by the Industrial Tribunal which are often requested by students and other individuals undertaking research on cases related to conditions of work in Malta.
For further information you may contact us as shown under "How to contact us" below. If, however, you wish to call personally to consult our archives, kindly contact us to set an appointment. You may also purchase photocopies of awards at €0.58 each.
For further information kindly contact us at the postal and e-mail address or on the telephone numbers shown under "Contacting Us" below. You may also send us a fax on 223818. We will reply to all requests for information over the phone immediately and those received via mail, fax or e-mail within 7 working days. If the information you require is not immediately available we will do our best to give you a full reply as soon as possible.
 
 
Apart from the standards outlined above, you may expect us to:
  • treat you with courtesy and respect.
  • acknowledge correspondence received via mail or fax within three working days.
  • acknowledge correspondence received via email within two working days.
  • provide a service on the ground floor if you are unable to use the steps leading to our first-floor offices.
 
 
If you feel that the quality of our service has not met your expectations you can immediately lodge a complaint with the member of staff providing the service. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you may send a letter or fax giving details of your complaint and addressed to the director at the address shown under "Contacting us" below.
We will send you an acknowledgement within three working days and a full reply within 10 working days from the day we receive your complaint.

We hope that you are satisfied with our quality of service. Please help us improve the standard of our service by filling in a feedback form at our reception area and posting it in the suggestion box or handing it to a member of our staff.
 
 
For further information, kindly contact us as follows:
 
 
Address: Department of Industrial & Employment Relations
121, Triq Melita
Valletta CMR 02
Malta
 
 
Tel: 21 224245 / 21 224246 / 21 222068
Fax: 21 243177
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
April 2001
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Published by the Charter Support Unit, OPM

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        

                                        
                                      

                                    

                                  

                                

                              

                            

                          

                        

                      

                    

                  

                

              

            

          

        

      

    

  



          


Ippublikat mic-Charter Support Unit, OPM

          



          


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