On 06th June 2025, Parliament passed Act XIV of 2025 wherein the punishments for crimes listed in the Employment and Industrial Relations Act have been increased. This Act shall come into force on the 06th August 2025.
Article 45 of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, previously stipulated that the applicable fines ranged from €232.94 to €2329.37. With the June amendments, the fines range from €2,000 to €5,000. Furthermore, under the new provisions, repeat offenders may face penalties ranging between €5,000 and €7,000.
Furthermore the prescriptive period in which the prosecution can take action has increased by one year. Therefore, now the prosecution can take action against a person within two years from when the crime was committed.
These crimes are outlined in Article 45(2) of the Act. These include employer’s failure to pay an employee’s wages or bonuses or else employers making an illegal deduction from the employees’ wages. Criminal action may be taken if payment is withheld in lieu of notice or else if the employer has failed to allow paid holidays.
Av. Malcolm Mifsud
Founding Partner
Mifsud & Mifsud Advocates
For more information you can contact one of our Team Members in our Employment Law Department at Mifsud & Mifsud Advocates.
