GWU presents petition on behalf of Group 4 workers at Mater Dei hospital

The General Workers’ Union Section Secretary Cory Greenland today presented a petition signed by 207 Group 4 Securitas workers providing clerical, parking and security services at Mater Dei Hospital.

The petition is calling on the Ministry of Health to issue a new tender or introduce improved salaries and working conditions for contract workers equal to those of civil service employees.

Greenland explained that civil servants providing clerical, security and parker services were respectively earning Scale 16, Scale 19 and Scale 20. "G4S workers providing these services are not earning anywhere near these salaries with clerks earning scale 18 while security workers and parkers are earning salaries below scale 20."

Greenland said the old tenders for these services were extended for another year after it lapsed in August without changing the working conditions despite Health Minister Joe Cassar’s pledges to issue improved conditions agreed upon with the GWU.

“Although we have been told that the Minister will meet with us sometime this month, we are hoping that communication between the GWU and ministry will be more constant than it has been in recent months,” Greenland said.