Police want higher pay - to match their 46-hour week

Police officers are calling for a 15 per cent wage rise, arguing they work six hours over and above the standard 40-hour week within the civil service. The formal demand is being spearheaded by the Malta Police Association, which has over 1,000 members. The union is urging officers to seek redress by filing a formal complaint to a grievances board set up in 2014. In their complaint, the officers say they are not being treated fairly because, contrary to all other employees on the government’s books, they are being forced to work 46 hours a week but being paid for 40. They argue that the collective agreement for the civil service makes it amply clear there should be extra payment for any additional hours worked beyond the mandatory 40-hour week. Furthermore, they note that in the absence of any sectoral agreement for the police, the provisions mentioned still apply. The aggrieved officers insist that two circular letters dating to 1993 and 2012 which outline their working conditions, including the 46-hour week, make no mention that payment must be pegged to a 40-hour week. They claim their union was never consulted over the conditions of work they are complaining about, which...