Industrial action at law courts averted after newspaper report

Industrial action at the law courts was averted when the management submitted its counter proposals after the Times of Malta carried a report on the dispute.
Talks between the two sides on a new agreement aimed at improving the working conditions of deputy court registrars started in 2013.
However, little progress was registered, notwithstanding ministerial intervention. Things only started moving after the news report published last Friday, the sources added.
“That same morning, we received an e-mail with the counter proposals we had been chasing for several weeks. We are now evaluating them and the discussions will continue,” UĦM Voice of the Workers’ assistant director, Edwin Balzan, said when contacted.

The union had warned the court management of industrial action unless there was a breakthrough in the talks.
The directives that had been planned could have directly affected court cases, but, worse still, the registry, which is considered to be the heart of the law courts. The union submitted its proposals in 2013 in a bid to improve the working conditions of the 60 deputy registrars.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici intervened in an attempt to solve the impasse but to no avail.