Part-timers 'not benefitting' from legal notice – GWU

In its statement the GWU said that even though part-time workers were given the right to pro-rata payment of salaries and benefits as full timers, part-timers are still not benefitting from the legal notice.

“There still exist abuses from certain employers who are not applying rules as are enforced by law,” the GWU said. “And this is done to the sole detriment of the part-timers.”

The GWU said that a recently published legal notice (117/2010) gives rights to all part-time workers, even to those who have been employed before the data when the law was introduced.

“The notice includes those workers who do not pay social security contributions in their part-time job, but do so in their full-time job,” the Union said. “The aim of this legal notice is to remove all possibilities of exploitation.”

The Union explained that there exist cases where the same worker is employed with more than one company, owned by the same owner.

“This occurs to deny the part-timers benefits they are entitled to for the hours they would have worked.”

“[We] have worked hard to ensure that part-timers are given these rights and that such rights are protected by Law,” the Union said. It also added that the legal notice gives part-timers bonuses, annual leave, sick leave and pro-rata according to the hours they work.

However, the GWU says, part-timers are still being exploited as their employers ignore this law.

"We urge authorities to ensure that the law is being enforced and to immediately investigate any information it receives when this is not being done."