Judge confirms compensation for former journalist

A judge has confirmed the Industrial Tribunal’s ruling that ordered Times of Malta to compensate former journalist Ivan Camilleri €171,000 for unfair dismissal.

Allied Newspapers, publishers of Times of Malta, had appealed the decision but the Court of Appeal has now confirmed the original ruling in its entirety.

Camilleri had sued Allied Newspapers following his abrupt dismissal in December 2019 after meeting with the managing director, two board members, and the editor-in-chief. He was confronted with two serious allegations: Involvement in a shoplifting incident reported by MaltaToday in October 2019, and leaking information to Yorgen Fenech, who was implicated in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Camilleri denied both allegations.

Allied Newspapers defended its actions, citing the urgent need to protect its reputation and asserting that Camilleri’s dismissal was based on grave reasons. However, the tribunal had determined that the company should have suspended Camilleri and conducted a thorough investigation rather than opting for immediate termination.

The tribunal had acknowledged the challenging context for Allied Newspapers but emphasised that this did not excuse the failure to follow legal and procedural obligations. The company’s reliance on a journalistic source for such a critical decision was deemed inappropriate.

Despite evidence of Camilleri’s problematic behaviour and attitude, the tribunal had concluded that these factors did not justify the breach of due process in his dismissal and awarded the journalist €171,000 in compensation. At the same time, the Industrial Tribunal attributed Camilleri with 25% of the responsibility for the dismissal, because it said that he acted disrespectfully towards his colleagues.

In his ruling confirming the Industrial Tribunal decision, Judge Lawrence Mintoff concluded that the tribunal was correct in its evaluation of the case, and therefore rejected the company’s appeal.

Mintoff also rejected Camilleri’s appeal against the part of the ruling that attributed him with 25% responsibility for the dismissal, which led to his compensation being reduced by €55,717. The judge reiterated the tribunal’s decision was just.