Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/364850
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 AUGUST 2014 3 News Flatmate waited for a week after man disappeared, leaving passport at home CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The miss- ing man's brother, speaking to MaltaToday from his home in Australia, described the disappear- ance as "odd", and informed this newspaper of the brother's disap- pearance, asking for assistance as his family has absolutely no idea of his whereabouts. "We do not know much but we are informed that he left his apart- ment on 3 August and he hasn't been seen or heard of since," Car- rick said. Phil Carrick last spoke to his brother five weeks ago and al- though Robert did go off the ra- dar in the past, he said that "it's highly unusual for my brother to stop all communication with his family without informing us of his whereabouts. "Normally no news is good news with my brother, however when- ever he has some kind of problem he calls me. When he needs some- body to talk to I'm the first one he calls, so it's peculiar of him to dis- appear in this way." Robert Carrick was last seen by Vamanu two weeks ago at the apartment they shared in Xghajra and speaking to MaltaToday, the Romanian explained that the Irishman had left all his posses- sions, including his passport, at the apartment. "He left everything at home, his passport, his tablet and computer, everything. The only thing that is missing is a blue bag which be- longed to me, in which he might have carried some clothes." Vamanu added that it was the first time Carrick made use of the bag, adding that the Police vice squad members had been at the apartment yesterday to continue their investigations. He said the Police took Carrick's passport, tablet and other possessions in a bid to trace the missing man. Vamanu informed the police of Carrick's disappearance on 10 Au- gust by filing a report at the Zab- bar police station. "At first I thought he went in hiding because he did not have any money to pay for his rent, but after a week I realised that something was wrong. He did not return to have a shower, change his clothes or take his tablet. For a moment I thought he might have gone for a trip to Gozo or something, but he would have told me so." He added that he tried calling him on Monday, 4 August, but since then the phone has been switched off. Moreover, Vamanu says that the police have con- firmed that Carrick hasn't left the country, been arrested or been to hospital in the past two weeks. Carrick split from his Hungar- ian wife in 2013 and was planning to visit his two daughters next month, and his brother said that Robert was "looking forward to see his girls." He also found it strange that his brother left the tablet behind, because it was his only means of communication with his daugh- ters, aged eight and six. Vamanu, who contacted Car- rick's wife Orsi through Facebook, said his flat mate "had financial and relationship problems" and often voiced his grievances over his failed marriage. Moreover, Carrick could not hold on to his jobs and after being fired from a construction com- pany where he worked together with Vamanu, the Irishman was also dismissed from a job he had at a shipyard in Marsa for allegedly turning up for work drunk. Carrick's elder brother Phil con- firmed that the missing man bat- tled with depression in the past, adding that "he always had some kind of drama going on in his life." However, when asked whether his brother had any enemies, Phil said "no, not that I know of, but I guess he did not know anyone well to make enemies in Malta." After leaving Hungary last year, Carrick worked for a brief period in Qatar before reaching Malta via England some 10 months ago. Phil Carrick, who is only a year older than Robert, said he was thinking of hiring a private inves- tigator and flying over to Malta to trace his brother. "I've posted messages of his dis- appearance on Facebook and it has had almost 300 shares, but so far no one has been able to provide any information. I don't know much as I'm still putting informa- tion together but I do hope he is well. I don't want to think of the worst right now." Illegal to discriminate against trans people at work TIM DIACONO AN amendment to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act has made it illegal to discriminate against trans- people at the workplace. The new provision came into force last Tuesday. Among other condi- tions, it is now illegal for employers to reject trans-people for a job solely because of their gender identity. It is now also illegal to harass a trans- person employer, employee or col- league on the ground of their gender identity. People who underwent, are under- going, or intend to undergo gender reassignment are all legally recognised as trans. Silvan Agius, Human Rights policy coordinator, told MaltaToday that this new law brings Malta's Employ- ment and Industrial Relations Act (EIRA) in line with EU laws. "This amendment is continuing the government's equality mainstreaming exercise," Agius said. "The inclusion of gender reassignment in the Act also brings it in line with the anti- discrimination articles found in both Malta's Constitution and the Equality for Men and Woman Act." Agius said that trans people who feel discriminated against by their em- ployer can choose to file a complaint with the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, file a case with an industrial tribunal, or take the case straight to court. "Employees do not need to prove that their employer has discriminated against them," Agius said. "They only need to provide enough evidence pointing to a likely case of discrimina- tion. "The employer will then need to prove that discrimination has not taken place." While employees undergoing gen- der reassignment surgery or treat- ment are already able to take sick leave, Agius said that the law had pre- viously been "silent" about this detail. He added that the amendment has made this issue clearer for everyone. The amendment is unrelated to the Gender Identity Bill that the govern- ment proposed earlier this year. Agius did not disclose any details of the bill's contents other than that it "will have all the hallmarks of a human rights law where the rights of trans people will be fully respected". "The Gender Identity Bill will be concluded by the LGBTI Consultative Council next week," Agius said. Missing: Robert Carrick