Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1435908
4 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 DECEMBER 2021 NEWS WITH the cannabis reform Bill expected to pass this afternoon in parliament, 53 organisations and individuals are petitioning MPs to amend the legislation. In a last-ditch effort, the organ- isations that include Caritas, em- ployer groups, former president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and several academics, have asked for the age of cannabis consumption to increase to 25 from 18 con- templated in the law. In their petition disseminated on Tuesday, the 53 organisations and individuals proposed several amendments to mitigate what they believe is the negative im- pact the law will have on society. "Despite numerous reasonable and balanced amendments pro- posed by the organisations and individuals represented by this petition, the government side has refused to consider any of these suggestions and remained ada- mant to pass a very weak regula- tory framework which risks leav- ing a massive negative impact on our society, especially among children, youths and the most vulnerable," the petition reads. The cannabis reform Bill is slat- ed for the Third Reading, which is the final stage in parliament before the it becomes law. The vote is expected this afternoon and given government's majority it is expected to pass. The Bill cleared commit- tee stage last week with minor changes. The Opposition, which came out against the reform, did not propose amendments at committee stage. The law will allow possession of up to 7g of cannabis with no criminal sanction, give people the chance to grow four plants at home and buy the drug from regulated clubs. The organisations want the distance of cannabis clubs from schools and youth centres to in- crease from 250m to 1km; they also want the fines for smoking cannabis in front of children and in public doubled; and the possibility allowed in the law for cannabis to be grown in resi- dences adjacent to schools to be removed. Another proposal includes regulating the amount of THC allowed in cannabis, something which the proposed law does not do. The organisations also want the new cannabis authority's re- mit to exclude educational cam- paigns so that these remain fo- cussed exclusively on prevention measures explaining the risks of cannabis use. The organisations accused gov- ernment of listening to only one pro-cannabis organisation when drafting the Bill. 53 organisations petition MPs to change cannabis reform in last-ditch effort KURT SANSONE PARLIAMENT will take the final vote on the cannabis reform Bill next week after the Opposi- tion called for a division during the Third Reading presented today. Equality Minister Owen Bonnici presented the final reading of the Bill, which was second- ed by government Whip Glenn Bedingfield. The ground-breaking Bill will allow the pos- session of up to 7g of cannabis and the growing of four plants at home. It also provides for reg- ulated clubs from where cannabis can be sold to registered members. The Opposition called for a division, which necessitates a roll call vote to be taken next Tuesday. Nationalist Party Whip Robert Cutajar said the Opposition will vote against the Bill but called on parliament's Petitions Committee to urgently discuss a petition presented today by 53 organisations and individuals asking for changes to the law. Cutajar said the petition should be discussed before the final vote. On Tuesday, 53 organisations, including Cari- tas and employer groups, and a number of aca- demics, opposed to the reform proposed sever- al changes to mitigate what they believe will be the negative impact of legalisation on society. Final vote on ground-breaking cannabis reform next week Equality Minister Owen Bonnici presented the final and Third Reading of the cannabis reform Bill MATTHEW AGIUS A 64-year-old former Projects Supervisor at the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools has been awarded €22,000 over his unjust dismissal, which came after he refused an order to resign when he had requested a sick leave ex- tension. In a recent judgment, the In- dustrial Tribunal, chaired by Ed- mund Tabone, ruled the man's 2018 dismissal to have been un- fair, as the employee's health and factual medical evidence pro- vided was not considered in the Foundation's decision to dismiss, which only considered the Foun- dation's working requirements. The plaintiff, who had worked as a Projects Supervisor at the Foundation for 12 years, had been fired in May 2018 after hav- ing been on sick leave owing to a psychiatric condition from Janu- ary that year. He had been contacted by the HR & Communications Manag- er at the Foundation, who called him to find out when he would be back at work after he had been on sick leave for some days. The indications were that he would be on sick leave for some time. In April, a month before his dis- missal, he had received a letter from the HR department asking after his position. Two days lat- er, he had replied, requesting his employer apply an established procedure that would allow him to take 50% of his unused sick leave. This procedure required approval from the Chief Execu- tive before the request was grant- ed. He later sent a medical certifi- cate confirming his diagnosis. On 2 May that year, HR had in- formed the worker in writing that his request was being refused and demanded his resignation by 7 May 2018. He refused to comply with this instruction, which he said was abusive and infringed his rights. A week later, on 9 May, he had received another letter, this time from the Chief Executive, in- forming him that he had been dismissed with immediate effect on health grounds. The employee insisted that the Foundation's actions were un- reasonable, both with regards to the request for extension of sick leave, as well as about his sudden dismissal. He told the tribunal that his first ten years of employ- ment had been trouble-free and that the problems had started in his last two years as he ap- proached retirement age. There had also been substan- tial changes in management during the three years preceding the termination of his employ- ment, with the Foundation going through three different Chief Ex- ecutives during that period. In his testimony, the plaintiff told the tribunal that during that period he found no cooperation from his superiors and would of- ten be left to take decisions that fell outside his competence with no supervision. These circum- stances had affected his mental health so much that he had ended up on sick leave, he said. The tribunal, presided by Chair- man Edmund Tabone, ruled that the request for extension of the plaintiff's sick leave had not been considered properly. The prior- ity was clearly not the employ- ee's health and factual medical evidence, but only work require- ments said the tribunal. The Chairman also noted that the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools had brought no evidence that the plaintiff was, in fact, not sick, adding that it had also ig- nored the fact that the termina- tion was about an extension of sick leave ad had instead tried to argue that it had been on the basis of his shortcomings, which however had not led to any disci- plinary proceedings. The lack of due process also in- fringed his right to a defence, the tribunal said. In light of this, the plaintiff was awarded €22,000 in compensa- tion, which must be paid within one month from the date of the decision. Schools building agency ordered to pay €22,000 to employee dismissed over sick leave