New Collective Agreement for SCH Officials

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has signed a new collective agreement with the General Workers’ Union.

This new agreement, being only the third to be signed within the entity’s 20 year existence, will see employees of the Superintendence benefit from increased salaries, an improved work/ life balance, and better flexibility.

These changes, negotiated between the Superintendence and the Union, signify a growing appreciation of cultural heritage as a field and profession.

Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Owen Bonnici, who presided over the signing, expressed how this improved agreement constitutes an important step in strengthening professions in the cultural heritage sector; a sector which is imperative in sustaining a national and cultural identity.

“With this new collective agreement, we are not only providing an improved financial package, but we are also encouraging career progression to the current employees, as well as providing the necessary incentives to future employees.”

The improved conditions embodied by the new collective agreement are also a testament to the continuing corporate and intellectual expansion of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage within recent years, as the entity continues to strengthen its workforce and diversify its functions.

Also present for the signing of the new collective agreement were the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, Ms. Joyce Dimech, Permanent Secretary within the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr. Joyce Cassar, Superintendent of Cultural Heritage, Mr. Kurt Farrugia, Director Support Services, Ms. Elizabeth Vassallo, General Workers Union Secretary General, Mr. Josef Bugeja, other Union representatives, as well as Industrial Relations Unit employees.