The Malta Police Union continues to fight for the right to strike, its President said at the EuroCOP Autumn Congress.
Speaking at the Congress in Spain, Marlon Hili, (pictured right) President of the Malta Police Union, said: “We’re still fighting in court for the right to strike, but the courts in Malta take a long time.
“I’m afraid that I won’t be in the police anymore by the time this legislation goes through. I’m fighting for the next generation. But we’re hopeful that we will manage to obtain it, because it’s a European law.
“We are aware that we cannot strike 100%, because you cannot just leave a country without any police officers. But the fact that you can have that threat of striking would be a big win for us. So it’s important.”
One of the big topics of discussion at the EuroCOP Congress was the high level of assaults on colleagues across the continent.
Every month there is an increase in police assaults in Malta, Marlon said. He continued: “Four years ago, there was a major assault on a police officer that meant that he lost his hand. And there was a big outrage.
“After that, things seemed to be changing. Our union organised a protest. A lot of people attended, even those who weren’t police officers. We thought this was going to be a big change, but then things went back to normal.
“People who assault police officers don’t get the punishment they deserve – they just get a €50 fine for punching a police officer, which for a criminal is worth it.”