Malta Police Force Responds To Union’s Quarantine Leave Claims
The Malta Police Force has issued a right of reply clarifying that the Police Officers Union’s (POU) questions regarding the quarantine leave issue were indeed answered.
“The Malta Police Force would like to clarify that on the contrary of what was reported, where Lovin Malta quoted the president of The Police Officers’ Union stating that the POU wrote to the administration of the Malta Police Force but no answer was given, in fact, on the 29th of August 2020, the Adminstration’ of the MPF did answer the queries the POU asked in writing. The POU acknowledged the explanation given. The MPF explained in written that ‘in case an officer tests positive for COVID-19, the Malta Police Force follows the same procedures adopted by the public service’.”
Legal Notice 63 of 2020, specifies that “every employee shall, on employment, be entitled to be granted by his employer quarantine leave for any period of quarantine as may be determined by the Superintendent of Public Health or any other public authority.”
Ray Zammit, the president of the POU, had previously spoken to Lovin Malta about this issue.
“The legal notice clearly states that we’re entitled to quarantine leave, but the administration department keeps saying that if we are put under mandatory quarantine, we are to follow the normal procedure of sick leave,” Zammit continued.
“Some people who had already used up their 15 days of sick leave have been put on half pay now that they’re in quarantine. Suddenly it’s like we aren’t front liners any more,” he ended.