NetEnt and Evolution Gaming have come to an official agreement with the GWU to rehire staff and an improved better severance pay package to those made unemployed.
An ongoing industry dispute between gaming companies NetEnt and The Evolution Gaming Group and the Maltese General Workers’ Union (GWU) has been resolved with a fantastic outcome.
The dispute began when the two gaming companies decided to make around 300 of their staff redundant. But just before Christmas, some good news came these workers way as the GWU and the two companies came to a formal agreement to increase severance pay and to reemploy some of the staff initially made redundant.
GWU represents the vast majority of NetEnt’s employees based in Malta. When the news broke that the redundancies were in the pipeline, the GWU quickly sprang into action and sourced legal help from Mifsud Bonnici Legal & Advisory.
100 Jobs Saved in Malta
All parties have now made an agreement in front of a judge to ease the blow to those who will lose their jobs and includes rehiring of some staff. Evolution gaming has agreed to keep 40 employees on their books who may have otherwise been without employment during the Christmas period.
Even better, the GWU has been busy helping those not fortunate enough to keep their original jobs to find new employment in the same industry. Some 60 of those made redundant have now secured contracts with other gaming companies in Malta.
Malta remains a lucrative job market for those aspiring to work in the gaming and gambling industries. Many of the biggest names have offices or headquarters on the island, such as PartyCasino, a leader in the industry that now offers one of the many leading live casino offerings, Monopoly Live. Creating these new online live games has opened up a new demand for workers with the right technical skills, as well as presenters, hosts and dealers.
Other casino trends, like VR gaming, could create many more jobs.
Improved Severance Pay and Benefits
Understandably, the GWU and their legal advisors could not save all 300 jobs that were set to be cut. For those whose jobs were not saved through restructuring, and for those who have yet to find new employment, there was further good news.
Every employee that has been made redundant will now receive a larger payoff. They will receive an additional 750 EUR equating to around 900 USD. Besides more generous financial compensation, Aron Mifsud Bonnici was able to safeguard employees currently on maternity leave, and grant continued access to healthcare benefit packages to those now without jobs.
The Reaction from GWU
Since this result, the GWU has officially withdrawn an injunction and thanked the legal team involved which spearheaded the negotiations into a positive outcome for as many as possible. The Secretary-General for GWU, Josef Bugeja, stated that they saved as many jobs as was realistically possible during the discussions and worked “intensely” to get the improved compensation package for those now without work.
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