Maltese trade union to take action over NetEnt redundancies

Malta’s General Workers Union (GWU) has declared a dispute with Evolution for the alleged use of “anti-union” tactics after the live casino supplier made hundreds of NetEnt employees redundant. The GWU has taken action over the mass redundancies, which began in December following the completion of the £1.9bn takeover of NetEnt by Evolution. Malta-based job losses came as a result of the total shutdown of NetEnt Live and the closure of its live casino studio in Qormi. “The GWU advises that these measures have become necessary given the gaming companies’ declared and manifest unwillingness to consult it, as the employees’ representative, in order to avoid mass redundancies in the igaming sector,” the GWU said. “The companies are reportedly planning to lay off over 300 employees, with no effort being made to avoid redundancies, and by engaging in anti-union tactics,” the union added. As justification for launching the dispute, the GWU cited Evolution’s failure to acknowledge the union as an employee representative in redundancy talks. The GWU further alleged that Evolution failed to provide information on the reasons for the redundancies, the number of employees at-risk and the criteria used. The union also claims it has not received details, including potential timelines, of redundancy payments given to affected employees. Finally, the GWU asserts that Evolution made “wholesale breaches” of existing regulations relating to so-called collective redundancies and transfer of business regulations. Collective redundancy laws apply if an employer is proposing to make 20 or more employees redundant at “one establishment” within 90 days. Employers are then obliged to open a consultation process with all staff, with union representation provided. The consultation requires the employer to discuss potential ways of avoiding redundancies and mitigating the effects on staff which have been made redundant. Crucially, employers must consult with employee representatives a minimum of 30 days before the first dismissal for between 20-99 proposed redundancies, rising to 45 days prior if there are 100 or more employees facing dismissal. A similar duty of care to consult with employees exists in the case of a transfer of business to a new owner. The GWU is the largest trade union in Malta, with more than 46,000 members.