Workers in healthcare PPPs to retain collective agreement benefits

Staff at St Luke’s, Karen Grech and the Gozo hospitals will remain public service employees – with the conditions they enjoy today – even after the three institutions are taken over by Vitals Global Healthcare in a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

This was revealed on Monday by health minister Chris Fearne after he signed an agreement with General Workers Union (GWU) secretary general Josef Bugeja on PPPs in the health sector.

Fearne said the government’s plan for the health sector would safeguard the sector’s sustainability, by working closely with all stakeholders, including the workers and those who represented them.

“The project the government is undertaking with Vitals Global Healthcare will attract medical tourism to Malta, while providing all Maltese and Gozitans with free medical service of the highest level,” he said.

Bugeja said the agreement would ensure that workers continued to enjoy all the benefits guaranteed by the collective agreement, including leave, sick leave, uniform provision and family-friendly measures.

“Most of all, it will provide workers great opportunities for training and advancement, allowing them to enjoy a career in healthcare, and not mere employment,” he said.