PROFESSIONAL OFFICES WAGES 
COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.39 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 452.39
PROFESSIONAL OFFICES WAGES COUNCIL 
WAGE REGULATION ORDER
10th November, 1975
LEGAL NOTICE 127 of 1975, as amended by Legal Notices 104 of 1976,
114 of 1977, 37 of 1979 and 46 of 1979.
Title.
Council Wage Regulation Order. 
Application of 
Order.
2. The provisions set out in the Schedule to this Order shall
apply to all employees in respect of whom the Professional Offices
Wages Council operates.
Amended by:
L.N. 104 of 1976;
L.N. 114 of 1977;
L.N. 37 of 1979;
L.N. 46 of 1979.
SCHEDULE
Interpretation.
Cap. 252.
1. In this Schedule, unless the context otherwise requires - 
"customary holidays" means the days (other than Sundays)
declared for the time being to be public holidays by or under the
National Holidays and other Public Holidays Act;
"half day" means a period of half the number of daily working
hours;
"hours of work" means the time on any day during which the
employees are at the disposal of the employer exclusive of intervals
for meals and rest;
Cap. 343.
"learner" means a person other than an apprentice, who is over
the age of fourteen years and under the age of eighteen years and
who is receiving training in any calling to which this Schedule
applies, and in respect of whom the employer holds a permit issued
by the Director of Labour in terms of the Employment and Training
Services Act;
"normal hours of work" means the hours of work per week
agreed to between the employer and the employee subject to the
provisions of paragraph 2;
"part-time employee" means an employee who is not a full-time
employee;
"period of employment" means the time on any day during which
the employees are at the disposal of the employer, but inclusive of
the intervals allowed for meals and rest;
"time-and-a-half" and "double-time" mean respectively one and a
half times and twice the time rate applicable to the employee;
"wages" means remuneration or earnings payable in money by an
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PROFESSIONAL OFFICES WAGES 
COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION
employer to an employee;
"week" means a calendar week;
"weekly day of rest" means a period of twenty-four consecutive
hours commencing at the time at which the employee would
normally commence his turn of duty;
"whole-time employee" means an employee who is employed for
more than twenty-five hours spread over a period of not less than
four days, in any one week.
Hours of work. 2. The minimum weekly rate shall be related to a week of -
( a ) not more than forty hours of work, except in the case
of watchmen, or
( b ) not more than sixty hours of work spread over a six-
day week, in the case of watchmen.
Minimum wages of 
whole-time 
employees.
3. (1)  Whole-time employees aged eighteen years or over
shall not be paid less than the following wages:
CATEGORY 1
On engagement .............................................. Lm18.88,0
CATEGORY 2
On engagement .............................................. Lm19.13,0
CATEGORY 3
During the first, second and third year
of employment in the category ....................... Lm19.63,0
During the fourth and subsequent years
of employment in the category ....................... Lm20.63,0
CATEGORY 4
During the first, second and third year
of employment in the category ....................... Lm20.13,0
During the fourth and subsequent years
of employment in the category ....................... Lm21.13,0
CATEGORY 5
During the first, second and third year 
of employment in the category ....................... Lm21.63,0
During the fourth and subsequent years
of employment in the category ....................... Lm22.63,0
CATEGORY 6
During the first year of employment
in the category ............................................... Lm22.63,0
During the second year of employment
in the category ............................................... Lm25.63,0
During the third and subsequent years
of employment in the category ....................... Lm27.67,0
(2) (i) The minimum wage of employees aged seventeen shall
PROFESSIONAL OFFICES WAGES 
COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.39 3
be ninety per cent of the above wages.
(ii) The minimum wage of emmployees aged sixteen shall
be eighty-five per cent of the above wages.
(3) In this paragraph -
"Category 1" includes charwoman/fatigueman, watchman,
chainman, messenger, receptionist;
"Category 2" includes telephone attendant/operator, driver,
printer;
"Category 3" includes clerk/clerk-typist, card puncher operator,
tracer/drawing office assistant, taker off, lotto receiver assistant;
"Category 4" includes shorthand typist, bookkeeper/accounts
clerk, law clerk;
"Category 5" includes site supervisor, draughtsman, quantity
surveyor assistant/calculator, land surveyor, clerk of works, artist,
accountant, audit clerk;
"Category 6" includes trade unions’/associations’ officers with
executive powers;
"quantity surveyor assistant/calculator" is an employee who is
wholly or mainly engaged in the preparation of estimates of works
under the direction of an architect and civil engineer or any
electrical, marine or mechanical engineer or quantity surveyor
possessing the necessary qualifications for the exercise of his
profession in Malta;
"chainman" is an employee wholly or mainly engaged in
assisting a surveyor. His duties may include the setting of a
theodolite and the taking of readings therefrom but do not include
plotting;
"draughtsman" is an employee who is wholly or mainly engaged
in the making of original sketches or in the drawing of designs from
rough sketches and in the preparation of relevant complete working
drawings. A draughtsman may be required to carry out outdoor
field survey work and prepare estimates under the direction of an
architect and civil engineer or electrical, marine or mechanical
engineer or naval architect possessing the necessary qualifications
for the exercise of his profession in Malta.
"tracer/drawing office assistant" is an employee who is wholly or
mainly engaged in copying drawings and parts made by a
draughtsman by tracing them in ink or pencil upon transparent
paper or cloth, using T-square, compasses, pens and other drawing
instruments;
"law clerk" is a non-professional person who is employed to
assist a lawyer, a notary public or a legal procurator in the
formulation of pleadings or minutes of deeds or Public Registry
notes, effects researches at the Public Registry, keeps
appointments, records Court adjournments and otherwise helps his
principal in the smooth discharge of his professional duties;
"site supervisor" is an employee who assists an architect and
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civil engineer or any other engineer authorised to exercise his
profession in Malta in the supervision of work in progress on site;
"surveyor" is an employee engaged wholly or mainly in the
carrying out of surveys of lands and sites for building and civil
engineering purposes;
"taker off" is an employee who assists a quantity surveyor
assistant or calculator in his work and takes measurements on site
of work or from designs to scale but does not make any
calculations.
Part-time 
employees.
4. Part-time employees shall be paid  pro rata , at an hourly
rate of not less than that applicable to whole-time employees,
namely the appropriate rate shown in the preceding paragraph
divided by forty provided that the payment shall in no case be less
than the equivalent for three hours per day.
Minimum daily 
rest.
5. All whole-time employees shall be allowed intervals for
meals and rest of not less in the aggregate than one hour every day.
Minimum weekly 
rest.
6. All whole-time employees shall be allowed a specified
weekly day of rest in every week.
Minimum overtime 
rates.
7. Whole-time employees shall be paid overtime at the
following rates -
( a ) on any one week, for all time worked outside the
normal hours of work in excess of forty hours,
exclusive of any overtime paid in terms of the
following provisions .......................... time-and-a-half 
( b ) for all time worked on the weekly day of rest and on
the customary holidays ........................... double time.
Employees in Category 6 will be required to work overtime
without remuneration according to the exigencies of their
employment.
Holidays and 
vacation leave.
8. Whole-time employees shall be entitled, in every calendar
year, to -
( a ) all customary holidays with full pay, and
( b ) after three months in employment, vacation leave of
such number of working days with full pay as is
equivalent to the number of working days as that
particular employee should normally attend to work
during a period of four weeks:
Provided that whole-time employees who have
been in employment for less than one year shall be
entitled to such part of the said vacation leave as is in
proportion to the number of months in employment:
Provided also that vacation leave shall be availed
of on dates mutually agreed to between the employer
and the employee, may be given in half day periods
and may be accumulated over a period not exceeding
two calendar years.
PROFESSIONAL OFFICES WAGES 
COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.39 5
Sick leave.
Cap. 318.
9. All whole-time employees shall in every calendar year be
entitled to twenty days sick leave on full pay less any sickness
benefit to which they may be entitled under the Social Security Act,
and to a further period of twenty days sick leave on half pay:
Provided that a medical certificate certifying incapacity for work
shall be produced to the employer and that the employer shall have
the right, if he deems fit, to require his own medical officer to visit
and medically examine the employee.
Bereavement 
leave.
10. Whole-time employees shall be allowed two days paid
leave on the occasion of the death of any of the following relatives:
the wife or husband, the mother, the father, the son, the daughter,
the brother, the sister.
Paid leave.
on the occasion of the birth of any child to the wife of the
employee.
Marriage leave.
days leave on full pay on the occasion of his marriage.
Injury leave 
Cap. 318.
13. A whole-time employee shall be entitled to one year injury
leave on full pay, less the full amount of any injury benefit to
which such employee may be entitled in terms of the Social
Security Act, if he is injured during the actual discharge of his
duty, and such injury is not due to any contributory negligence on
his part or to the contravention by him of any safety rules laid down
by the management.
Jury service.
allowed all the necesary time off on full pay to enable him to attend
the Court on such service.
Retiring age.
at the age of sixty years, such employee shall be given the
opportunity by the employer to retain his employment beyond this
age at least until the age of sixty-one years, provided that the
employee in question shall still be allowed, if he so wishes, to retire
at sixty years.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order but is intended to indicate its
applicability).
The provisions of the above Schedule shall apply to all
employees in any office or undertaking or part of an undertaking
the activities of which consist wholly or mainly in employment in
any of the offices and establishments of the following -
( a ) trade unions including associations of a similar
character;
( b ) offices of architects, engineers, legal advisers, notaries
public, lotto receivers, accountants, book-keepers,
auditors and consultants in any branch of engineering,
architecture, law and accounting;
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( c ) research and scientific establishments (except
laboratories attached to private hospitals);
( d ) market research units, advertising agencies,
establishments which receive funds from the public for
investment in unit trusts or which run the management
of unit trusts (except establishments carrying out
wholly or mainly insurance business).
The provisions of the above Schedule do not apply to employees
whose remuneration for work is regulated by tariff made by or
under the law.
