€2.3m investment in a collective agreement for Lands Authority employees

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg and parliamentary secretary for Lands and Construction Chris Agius presided over the signing of a collective agreement between the Lands Authority and the General Workers Union while they had the opportunity to meet the employees.

Minister Borg said: “The human resource is our most important and dearest asset. We are therefore very satisfied to witness this Authority investing so that the employees can have a better quality of life at their place of work. After all, the people’s quality of life is our biggest priority, as is evident in the projects we are planning and delivering in many sectors. Workers spend a lot of their time at their place of employment and it is important that they have favourable conditions.”

He explained that thanks to this agreement 140 Authority employees will witness an average salary increase of 4.2%, together with more working hour flexibility, family-friendly measures and other benefits promoting employee health and career progression.

“I commend the Authority for this initiative and look forward to witness more and more employees, enjoying similar benefits and conditions towards motivated work and a better quality of life for all workers,” Minister Borg concluded.

Parliamentary secretary Agius expressed his satisfaction regarding the signing of this collective agreement. Through this agreement, the Authority is investing €2.3m in its people to give workers what they deserve while continuing to guarantee the highest quality service for the public.

Lands Authority CEO James Piscopo stated that the collective agreement is a clear demonstration of the progress the Authority is undergoing on all levels. So much so, he added, that the

Lands Authority has registered record revenue of more than €40m. Over the past year tenders issued from the previous year increased sevenfold, while work is underway on a new online system, with self-imposed timeframes that will expediate the general public’s experience when contacting Lands.

Piscopo said that the historically valuable Baviera building, that is currently hosting the Authority’s complement of over 200 workers, is being evaluated in order to maximize its full potential.

The CEO concluded by acknowledging all workers and their dedication towards progress, while he encouraged them to strive harder to reach the necessary goals of the immediate and longterm future.