Conditions of Work Regulation Orders: Malta’s 2026 WRO Reform Explained

Author: Pamela Dingli

It has been a busy period for the legislator responsible for employment in Malta. As from the 30th of June 2026, new amendments to the current Wages Council Wages Regulation Orders (WROs) will come into force via Legal Notices 112–143 of 2026 (S.L.452.141 – S.L.452.171). Indeed, Malta’s recent reform of the WROs represents an important move towards updating and streamlining sector specific employment regulations. Renamed as Conditions of Work Regulation Orders, the changes are intended to create a more coherent framework, promote greater consistency in employee entitlements across different industries, and enhance transparency for both employers and employees.

Set out below are the key amendments to the WROs.

Sick Leave under the Conditions of Work Regulation Orders: Entitlement from Day One

In certain WROs, employees were only entitled to paid sick leave after they completed the minimum service period, often being six (6) months or 1 (one) year, which left new employees to potentially have no paid sick leave at the beginning of their employment. The amendments now provide employees with sick leave which applies from the first day of employment in all those sectors which are regulated by a Conditions of Work Regulation Order, that is agriculture, beverages, canning, cargo clearance and forwarding, cinemas and theatres, clay and glass, construction, domestic services, electronics, food manufacture, hire cars and private buses, hospitals and clinics, hotels and clubs, jewellery and watches, laundries, leather goods, paper, plastics, chemicals and petroleum, printing and publishing, private cleaning, private schools, private security, professional offices, public transport, seamen, sextons and custodians, textiles, tobacco,  transport equipment and metal, travel and insurance, wholesale and retail, woodworks and digital platform delivery services.

Should an employee start their employment mid-year, then the total annual sick leave entitlement would be pro-rated, however this can still be utilised from the start of the employment.

Annual Leave and Working Time: Aligned With the OWTR

The new Conditions of Work Regulation Orders make it clear that annual leave and rest periods are now to be governed solely by the Organisation of Working Time Regulations, which eliminates any inconsistencies that may arise between the different sectors.

Bereavement and Marriage Leave Under the Conditions of Work Regulation Orders 

Employees which were not covered by a WRO, would usually be entitled to one (1) day of bereavement leave and two (2) days of marriage leave, however WROs would provide for more generous entitlements. The new Conditions of Work Regulation Orders  provide employees to be entitled to three (3) days of bereavement leave and three (3) days of marriage leave which is applicable across all sectors regardless of whether the employee is regulated by a Conditions of Work Regulation Order. Those sectors specific rules which require employees to remain in employment for a minimum period post-marriage to keep the entitlement have been completely removed. This was the case in the Electronics and in the Transport Equipment, Metal and Allied Industries sectors.

This amendment to marriage and bereavement leave is also reflected in an amendment to the Minimum Special Leave Entitlement Regulations.

Minimum Wage Reform Under the Conditions of Work Regulation Orders: Age Discrimination Abolished

This reform also proposes that the lower minimum wage applicable to minors be abolished and provides that all employees that fall under a Conditions of Work Regulation Order are entitled to the same minimum wage regardless of their age. The minimum wage is adjusted to reflect different working weeks including forty-eight (48) hour, fifty-two (52) hour and sixty (60) hour work weeks which will be dependent on the sector concerned. This applies to the following sectors – cinemas and theatres, electronics, food manufacture, car hire, hotels and clubs, jewellery, laundries, professional offices, sextons and custodians, textiles, tobacco manufacture, transport equipment/metal, wholesale and retail, woodworks, agriculture, beverage, canning, clay and glass, construction, leather goods, paper, plastics and chemicals, printing and publishing, and private cleaning.

Uniform and Health & Safety Apparel: Employer-Funded

Where employees are required to wear uniforms to carry out their duties, such uniforms must be supplied by the employer free of charge. This extends to personal protective equipment aimed at the health and safety of the employees.

Sunday Work: Written Consent Required

The amendments introduce the right of employees to decide whether they work on Sundays. Employees may only be required to work on Sundays where they have provided their written consent. Employees choosing not to work on Sundays work must not suffer any adverse consequences or discrimination on the basis of that choice.

Shift Work: Statutory Shift Premiums

Orders establish shift allowances and provide that employees engaged in shift work shall be entitled to additional remuneration or shift premiums in accordance with the applicable sector-specific provisions. Essentially, the latter consist of the electronics, hospitals and clinics, hotels and clubs, seamen, textiles, transport equipment/metal, travel, beverage, clay and glass, leather goods, paper, plastics and chemicals and private cleaning sectors.

The convergence of the principles outlined above, and the regulation of further rights in specific Conditions of Work Regulation Orders, does not displace the foundational truth at the heart of employment law, that these Conditions of Work Regulation Orders represent a floor, not a ceiling. Individual contracts, and above all, collective agreements, exist precisely to transcend these minimum guarantees, opening the door to conditions that more generously serve the employee. Collective bargaining, therefore, remains not merely relevant but vital.

Quick Q&A

Q: When did the new Conditions of Work Regulation Orders take effect?

A: 30 June 2026, under Legal Notices 112-143 of 2026.

Q: Does sick leave apply from day one everywhere?

A: Yes, in every sector, whether covered by a Conditions of Work Regulation Order or otherwise.

Q: How much bereavement and marriage leave do employees get now?

A: 3 days each, for every employee, in every sector.

Q: Is the lower minimum wage for minors gone?

A: Yes, all ages are now treated equally.

Q: Can employers require staff to work on Sundays?

A: Only with the employee’s written consent.