JUNIOR minister for equality Re-
becca Buttigieg said she would not
rehire an employee accused of sex-
ual harassment within her ministry,
after the controversial reinstatement
of Clint Axisa at Infrastructure Mal-
ta.
Axisa was suspended at Transport
Malta after he was accused of sex-
ually harassing employees. But last
week, it was revealed that Axisa was
rehired at Infrastructure Malta. This
decision irked many, including femi-
nist activists and the ADPD.
Buttigieg was asked if she would
accept an employee with accusations
of sexual harassment, to which she
responded: "I would not take that
decision."
When asked whether she agreed
with those who described the rein-
statement as a laugh in the face of
sexual assault victims, Buttigieg said
that the victims' protection should
come first and foremost.
She reassured journalists that the
Public Service Commission (PSC)
and the entities in question have the
necessary procedures required to
decide who should remain suspend-
ed from work.
"My message is always that there
should be zero tolerance of sexual
harassment so that society under-
stands that these are not acceptable
crimes," Buttigieg stated.
As she was pressed on whether
she considers the reinstatement as a
"zero tolerance" approach, Buttigieg
reiterated that the alleged victim's
protection is paramount. The parlia-
mentary secretary encouraged enti-
ties to act on reports of sexual har-
assment so that justice is ensured.
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WEDNESDAY • 24 APRIL 2024 • ISSUE 891 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY
EDITORIAL • PAGE 11
Rebecca Buttigieg would not
hire employee with sexual
harassment allegations
JAMES
DEBONO
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
MATTHEW
FARRUGIA
mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt
Silvio Grixti and
associates to be
indicted over
benefits racket
Surveys
converging at
10-point lead
for Labour
PAGE 3
Rebecca Buttigieg
THE Labour Party's lead over the Nationalist Party
stands at an average 9.6 points based on the results of
three newspaper surveys in March and April.
PAGE 5
