Industrial dispute hits Court Services Agency

The Court Services Agency is grappling with an industrial dispute over the representation rights of its workforce,

The conflict arose when the General Workers' Union (GWU) sought official recognition for a group of the Agency’s employees. However, the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations declined the request, citing that the deadline for filing such claims had passed. 

In response, the GWU launched a series of industrial actions to exert pressure. These include directives for its members to refrain from covering for employees on vacation or sick leave and prohibiting Assistant Registrars from assigning replacements. 

GWU has also directed its members to prevent Assistant Registrars from directly covering for absent Deputy Registrars. GWU members are also disallowed from recording court sittings. 

Rival union UĦM has instructed its members to follow similar action plans.

The Court Services Agency called for constructive dialogue among all parties to resolve the dispute promptly and fairly. 

In the meantime, the Agency has issued an apology to the public for the inconvenience caused by the ongoing disruptions.