The General Workers’ Union has issued directives to care staff at Dar Emmaus, Gozo’s only homeless shelter, and insisted that ”workers must not be assigned duties outside their job descriptions.”

The GWU said in a statement that it has formally declared an industrial dispute at Dar Emmaus, following developments that the Union ”considers to be in breach of the agreement reached between the parties during a meeting held in Xewkija, on the 15th September.”

The GWU said following that meeting, a ”clear agreement had been reached that no employee would be dismissed. In fact, prior to the meeting, the decision regarding the termination of two employees had been reconsidered, and the termination letters were withdrawn.”

Consequently, the GWU has expressed its ”disappointment and serious concern regarding the subsequent decision taken,” which, according to the Union, ”runs directly counter to the agreement reached between the parties.”

Following the meeting in September, the GWU said that was ”under the impression that there was a genuine willingness for the parties to move forward and continue discussions towards negotiating a new Collective Agreement. In fact, the Union was already in the process of preparing a draft of proposals to facilitate constructive dialogue.”

However, in light of the current situation – and particularly because ”duties traditionally performed by security staff are being assigned to care staff” – the GWU said that it had no alternative but to formally declare an industrial dispute.

With immediate effect, the GWU has issued a directive to care staff not to perform duties that fall outside their job description.

The GWU insisted that workers should ”not be asked to shoulder responsibilities for which they were neither employed nor trained.” The industrial dispute is also being registered with the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER).

The GWU said that it reserves the right to issue further directives and escalate industrial action should the situation remain unresolved.

The Union stated that it ”regrets that the situation has reached this stage, particularly following the positive discussions held in September. Nevertheless, the GWU maintains that meaningful dialogue, mutual respect, and adherence to the agreement reached between the parties represent the only constructive way forward.”

The GWU concluded by saying that it remains available for discussions aimed at resolving this dispute in a fair and reasonable manner.

Photo: GWU

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