Two new Collective Agreements signed for ARMS Ltd. employees

25 May 2026 - Economy | Home | News | Politics | Technology | Trade | World and Chronicle

Two new Collective Agreements have been officially signed between the General Workers’ Union (GWU) and ARMS Ltd. These agreements directly cover 214 workers as well as 27 management-level employees within the entity.

The new agreements are the result of extensive discussions aimed at strengthening employee working conditions, ensuring fair recognition for their daily contributions, and positioning ARMS Ltd. to deliver a more efficient, high-quality service to its customers.

Under these Collective Agreements, employees will benefit from an improved financial package, new measures focused on continuous training and skills development, and initiatives to rectify existing anomalies within employee grades and structures. This overhaul is designed to provide greater certainty, motivation, and career opportunities for staff while strengthening the company’s overall operations.

Key Highlights of the Agreements are enhanced financial packages by improving wages and remuneration for all covered employees, a focus on development through new training initiatives and study opportunities to foster continuous professional growth. Also addressing the anomalies by structural adjustments to resolve historic discrepancies in employee grading.

This marks the first time a Collective Agreement in Malta’s Public Sector has been signed before the expiration of the current active agreement. Additionally, the contract covering management staff is the first of its kind for the entity.

During the signing ceremony, Minister Miriam Dalli highlighted the Government’s commitment to improving workers’ conditions and showing concrete appreciation for those who deliver essential daily services to families and businesses.

“Following months of work and constructive discussions, we are delivering concrete results for ARMS workers. These employees perform crucial, public-facing roles, ensuring that electricity and water billing services remain accessible, efficient, and of high quality. We are not only improving their financial package but also prioritizing training, skills development, and creating fairer workplace structures,” Minister Dalli stated.

The Minister added that this step aligns with the Government’s broader efforts to ensure stability, quality of service, and support for families.

ARMS Ltd. Chief Executive Officer George Azzopardi described the signing as a historic moment for the company that promotes a fairer, more modern working environment.

“This is an important day for us and a historic milestone, where, among other things, we have addressed long-standing anomalies in worker grades. This was a highly collaborative effort that ultimately led to an incredibly satisfying agreement—one that balances better pay with new study incentives for our workforce,” said Azzopardi.

The General Workers’ Union welcomed the agreements as a major step forward for the workforce.

Riccarda Darmanin, Secretary of the Professionals, Services, and Finance Section within the GWU (responsible for the management agreement), noted the historic nature of the management contract and thanked the members for their unwavering support.

Kendrick Bondin, Secretary of the Government, Public Entities, and Health Section within the GWU (responsible for the general workforce agreement), emphasized the forward-looking nature of the contract.

“We have signed a Collective Agreement that will commence next year. This means that while we are currently operating under an agreement that has not yet expired, we have already finalized and signed a new one for the coming years,” Bondin concluded.

The signing ceremony was also attended by GWU Secretary General Kevin Camilleri and GWU President Jason Deguara.