Updated 1245
Agreement for church school educators in coming months – Union
Church school teachers will negotiate a separate agreement in the coming months, despite the state schools agreement already addressing most of their financial and resource needs. “This state schools agreement, backed by the state concordat, automatically covers the financial aspects for church schools. However, a specific agreement for church schools is still necessary and will be discussed thoroughly in the coming months,” MUT president Marco Bonnici said on TVM. Last week, the government and the teachers’ union finalized the sectoral agreement for educators. Initially agreed upon in May, the terms were renegotiated after union members expressed dissatisfaction. The revised agreement received 92% support from union members. The previous five-year agreement expired two years ago, and educators will receive back pay for the increases in their allowances. (Maltatoday)
Planning Commissioner slams ‘build now, sanction later’ mentality
A planning commissioner within the Ombudsman’s office has raised alarm over the “build now, sanction later” mentality in Malta. Commissioner Alan Saliba expressed his concern at the “non-existent” attempts to diminish the use of sanctioning procedures. The procedures open the window for developers to commit illegalities which can then be sanctioned by the Planning Authority, against payment of a fine. Planning laws allow developers to proceed with works while appeals processes are ongoing. He said better enforcement will ease the “undue pressure” on decision-makers when they are faced with a fait accompli for sanctioning, when compared to proposals that are still on paper. (Times of Malta)
Cruise passengers increase again, NSO data shows
Total cruise passenger traffic during the second quarter of 2024 amounted to 273,900, an increase of 21.6% over the same quarter of last year, the National Statistics Office (NSO) said.
There were 128 cruise liner calls during the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 30 when compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 223,990 (81.8%). On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 2,140 passengers, 159 less than the previous year, the NSO said.
Morning Briefing
Powercuts: Grech demands compensation, Dalli says scheme already in place
Opposition leader Bernard Grech called for compensation for the inconvenience and damage caused by ongoing power cuts. Grech revealed that he had written to the chairman of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD), requesting a meeting with social partners to discuss the issue and find a solution. He added that although the Prime Minister had promised the MCESD unprecedented investment to address the problem last year, the reality was that investment had actually decreased. He also reiterated his call from Sunday for Energy Minister Miriam Dalli to resign or be removed. In a statement on Monday evening, the Energy Ministry said that compensation will be provided on the basis of an existent scheme which was utilised last year. (Times of Malta)
No reason for Ministers’ spouses not to get government appointments – Standards Commissioner
Four government ministers have been cleared of an ethics breach by appointing family members of cabinet colleagues to roles within their ministries. The case was brought forward by independent candidate Arnold Cassola and concerned ministers Miriam Dalli, Anton Refalo, Silvio Schembri and Jonathan Attard . In his report, Standards Czar Joseph Azzopardi said “competent individuals” should not be excluded from roles simply because they are married to government ministers. He added that although Ministers are granted significant power in selecting such appointees, there is currently no provision preventing sitting MPs and their spouses or partners from accepting government employment. (Maltatoday)
Inflation drops in June – NSO
According to the National Statistics Office, a decrease in the rate of inflation has been recorded during the past month. From the market price analysis, it emerges that inflation in June as measured by the Retail Price Index stood at 1.3%. The preceding month it was 1.5%, while in June last year it stood at 5.4%. The twelve-month average rate for June was 2.9%. The largest contribution to the overall annual inflation was measured in the Food Index (+0.58 percentage points), while the largest downward contribution was recorded in the Transport and Communication Index (-0.41 percentage points).
