Canning Industry (Conditions of Work) Regulation Order, 2026

L.N. 121 of 2026

EMPLOYMENT AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACT

(CAP. 452)

Canning Industry (Conditions of Work) Regulation Order, 2026

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by article 4(1) of the

Employment and Industrial Relations Act, the Minister responsible for

employment and industrial relations has made the following order:-

(1) The title of this order is the Canning Industry Citation,

commencement

(Conditions of Work) Regulation Order, 2026.

and

applicability.

(2) This order shall come into force within two (2) months

from its date of publication in the Gazette.

(3) The provisions established in this order shall apply to all

employees in any undertaking or in any part of an undertaking the

activities of which consist wholly or mainly of the following

(a) canning and preserving, including packing in airtight

containers of fruits, vegetables, and fruit and vegetable juices;

dehydrating and quick freezing of fruits and vegetables; and any

other process incidental thereto;

(b) manufacture of preserves, jams, jellies, pickles,

sauces or canned soups, including the canning and preserving of

meat, meat products and any other form of meat processing; and

the manufacture of ice;

(c) canning and preserving of fish and other sea foods,

including salting, drying, smoking, curing, pickling,

dehydrating, packing in air-tight containers, quick-freezing and

any other form of processing;

(d)

cold storage of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and other

foods

Provided that in the event that there is a collective

agreement applicable to the class of employees covered by this order,

the more favourable conditions in that agreement or in this order shall

F’dan l-ordni, kemm-il darba r-rabta tal-kliem ma teħtieġx

xort’oħra

"Att" tfisser l-Att dwar l-Impiegi u r-Relazzjonijiet

Industrijali;

"festi tas-soltu" tfisser il-ġranet, għajr il-Ħdud, iddikjarati

għal dak iż-żmien bħala festi pubbliċi skont l-Att dwar il-Festi

Nazzjonali u Btajjel Pubbliċi oħra;

"ftehim kollettiv" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif mogħti

lilha fl-Att;

"ġimgħa" tfisser ġimgħa kalendarja;

"ġurnata" tfisser perjodu li jibda minn nofsillejl (12:00

a.m.) ta’ ġurnata sa nofsillejl (12:00 a.m.) tal-ġurnata ta’ wara;

"ħin doppju" tfisser id-doppju tar-rata minima ta’ ħin

applikabbli għall-impjegat;

"ħin u nofs" tfisser darba u nofs tar-rata minima ta’ ħin

applikabbli għall-impjegat;

"ħinijiet tax-xogħol" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif

mogħti lilha fl-Att;

"impjegat part-time" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif

mogħti lilha fl-Att;

"impjegat whole-time" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif

mogħti lilha fl-Att;

"nofs ta’ nhar" tfisser perjodu ta’ tnax (12)-il siegħa

konsekuttivi li jispiċċa fis-1.00 p.m. jew fis-1.00 a.m.;

"paga" tfisser remunerazzjoni jew qligħ li jitħallas minn

prinċipal lil impjegat u tinkludi kwalunkwe bonus li jitħallas

skont l-artikolu 23 tal-Att għajr kwalunkwe bonus jew allowance

relatat mal-prestazzjoni jew mal-produzzjoni;

"perjodu ta’ mistrieħ" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif

mogħti lilha fir-Regolamenti dwar l-Organizzazzjoni tal-Ħin tax-

Xogħol;

"perjodu tal-impjieg" għandu jkollha l-istess tifsira kif

mogħti lilha fl-Att.

In this order, unless the context otherwise requires

Interpretation.

"Act" means the Employment and Industrial Relations Act; Cap. 452.

"collective agreement" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"customary holidays" means the days, other than Sundays,

declared for the time being to be public holidays under the

National Holidays and other Public Holidays Act;

"day" means a period running from midnight (12:00 a.m.)

of one day to midnight (12:00 a.m.) of the next following day;

"double-time" means twice the minimum time rate

applicable to the employee;

"half-day" means a period of twelve (12) consecutive hours

ending at 1.00p.m. or 1.00a.m.;

"hours of work" shall have the same meaning as assigned to

it in the Act;

"part-time employee" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"period of employment" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act;

"time-and-a-half" means one and a half times the minimum

time rate applicable to the employee;

"wages" means remuneration or earnings, payable by an

employer to an employee and includes any bonus payable under

article 23 of the Act other than any bonus or allowance related to

performance or production;

"week" means a calendar week;

"weekly day of rest" means a period of twenty-four (24)

consecutive hours commencing at the time at which the worker

would normally commence his turn of duty;

"whole-time employee" shall have the same meaning as

assigned to it in the Act.

3. The minimum weekly wage shall be related to a week of

not more than

(a) forty (40) hours in the case of all whole-time

employees, other than watchpersons; and

(b)

sixty (60) hours of work, spread over a six (6) day

week, in the case of watchpersons.

The minimum weekly wage payable to whole-time Minimum

wages of whole-

employees shall be the following

time employees.

(a)

€344.16

watchpersons ...

(b) other

€229.44

employees.......

(1) When the employee is required to wear a uniform in Uniform

the performance of his duties, such uniform shall be provided by the allowance.

employer free of any charge.

(2) Personal protective equipment according to the Minimum

Requirements for the use of Personal Protective Equipment at Work S.L. 646.13.

Regulations shall also be provided by the employer free of charge.

Whole-time employees, other than watchpersons, shall be Minimum daily

allowed intervals for meals and rest of not less than in the aggregate, rest.

one (1) hour every day.

All employees shall be entitled to a rest period according to Minimum

weekly rest.

the Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

(1) In the case of whole-time employees, other than Minimum

overtime rates.

watchpersons, overtime shall be payable as follows

(a) for all time worked in excess of forty (40) hours in

any week, exclusive of any time paid for at overtime rates

....................time-and-a-half;

(b) in the case of a five (5) day week, for all time worked

in excess of eight (8) hours on any day ............time-and-a-half;

(c) in the case of a six (6) day week, for all time worked

in excess of seven (7) hours from Monday to Friday, and five (5)

hours on Saturday .............time-and-a-half;

(d) for all time worked on Sundays and customary

holidays ...................double time

Provided that in any week which includes a customary

holiday, overtime at time-and-a-half shall be payable for work in

excess of thirty-three (33) hours, exclusive of time paid for at overtime

rates, to whole-time employees other than watchpersons.

(2) Overtime at the rate of time-and-a-half shall be payable to

watchpersons for all time worked in excess of sixty (60) hours in a

period of six (6) consecutive days, and for all time worked on the

seventh (7) day.

The employee shall be entitled to annual leave in

accordance with the Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

(1) A whole-time employee shall in every calendar year

be entitled to the equivalent in hours of twelve (12) days sick leave on

full pay, less an amount equal to the sum established for sickness

benefit entitlement at the rate determined in accordance with the

Social Security Act, and part time employees shall have a pro rata

entitlement to sick leave in hours on full pay, less an amount equal to

the sum established for sickness benefit entitlement at the rate

established in accordance with the Social Security Act, which amount

shall also to be calculated on a pro rata basis

Provided that

(a) the first three (3) days of any claim for sick leave

shall be paid in full by the employer;

(b) a medical certificate covering the period of sick leave

shall be submitted to the employer on the day of return to work

or, if such period of sick leave is longer than seven (7) days,

within seven (7) days of the commencement of such absence due

to sick leave;

(c) employees receiving a social security pension in

respect of retirement or widowhood in accordance with the

Social Security Act shall, for the purpose of calculating the sick

leave due, be deemed to have received an amount equal to the

sum established for the sickness benefit entitlement at the rate

determined in accordance with the Social Security Act.

(2) A whole-time employee shall in every calendar year be

entitled to the equivalent in hours of a further twenty-four (24) days

sick leave on half pay, less an amount equal to half the sum established

for sickness benefit entitlement at the rate determined in accordance

with the Social Security Act, and part time employees shall have a pro

rata entitlement to sick leave in hours on half pay, less an amount

equal to half the sum established for sickness benefit entitlement at the

rate determined in accordance with the Social Security Act, which

amount is also to be calculated on a pro rata basis

Provided that

(a) the first three (3) days of any claim for sick leave

shall be paid at half pay by the employer;

(b) a medical certificate covering the period of sick leave

shall be submitted to the employer on the day of return to work

or, if such period of sick leave is longer than seven (7) days,

within seven(7) days of the commencement of such absence due

to sick leave;

(c) employees receiving a social security pension in

respect of retirement or widowhood in accordance with the

Social Security Act shall, for the purpose of calculating the sick Cap. 318.

leave due, be deemed to have received an amount equal to half

the sum established for the sickness benefit entitlement at the

rate determined in accordance with the Social Security Act.

(3) Sick leave entitlements shall apply from the first (1) day of

employment

Provided that the said entitlements shall be calculated pro

rata according to the date of employment in the relative calendar.

(4) Employees employed for a lesser period than one (1) year

shall be entitled to sick leave in proportion to the number of months in

employment.

(5) The employer may require a medical certificate by a

physician of his choice to certify that the employee is unfit for work

during the period of absence.

(6) The sick leave entitlement shall be calculated on the basis

provided for annual leave as specified in regulation 8(1) of the

Organisation of Working Time Regulations.

An employee shall be entitled to the payment of the Waiting time.

minimum wage applicable to him for all time during which he is

present on the premises of his employer or in any other place in

connection with his employment unless he is present there in any of

the following circumstances

(a)

without the employer’s express or implied consent;

(b) for some purpose unconnected with his work, other

than that of waiting for work to be assigned to him;

(c)

solely due to the fact that he is resident there;

(d) during normal meal times in a room or place in which

no work is being done, and he is not waiting for work to be

assigned to him.

12 Employees shall be entitled to the national holidays and to

all public holidays with full pay, to all forms of leave according to the

Minimum Special Leave Entitlement Regulations and all other forms

of leave that may from time to time be stipulated in the National

Standard Orders or regulations made under the Act.

Impjegati għandhom ikunu intitolati għall-festi nazzjonali u

għall-festi pubbliċi kollha b’paga sħiħa, kull forma ta’ leave skont ir-

Regolamenti dwar Dritt Minimu ta’ Leave Speċjali u għal kull forma

oħra ta’ leave ieħor li jista’ minn żmien għal żmien jiġi stipulat f’Ordni

ta’ Standard Nazzjonali jew f’regolamenti magħmula taħt l-Att.

The Canning Industry Wages Council Order and the

Canning Industry Wages Council Wage Regulation Order are hereby

repealed without prejudice to anything done or omitted to be done

thereunder.

€0.54