Lyons Care denies management intimidating Casa Paola workers over union membership

Lyons Care, the company that operates Casa Paola elderly home in Paola, has denied allegations that its management pressured or threatened employees in connection with their membership in the Solidarjeta union, and has said it reserves the right to take legal action against those it says are spreading false claims.

"At no point has management pressured or threatened any employee in connection with their legal right to join a union," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. "Allegations that contracts or work permits were not renewed due to union membership are entirely false."

The statement came days after MaltaToday reported that a number of employees at Casa Paola, most of them third-country nationals, said they had been warned by managers about their union membership.

Several workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that after they joined Solidarjeta, management began asking them why they felt the need to do so. Some foreign employees were later told their work permits and contracts would not be renewed, others said colleagues were told renewal depended on leaving the union.

Dylan Bezzina, chief executive of Lyons Group, which operates the home, was said to have been personally involved in those conversations.

The dispute escalated after the home's management refused to enter negotiations on a collective agreement following Solidarjeta's formal recognition by the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) on 23 February. The company also declined to attend a DIER mediation meeting.

Last week, a series of industrial action directives came into force, including the refusal of unscheduled shifts with less than 24 hours' notice and limits on certain care tasks.

Lyons Care said it is now in contact with DIER and that a conciliation meeting with the union has been scheduled. The company said it had agreed to engage in discussions but would not remain silent when faced with what it called a distortion of facts.

It added that should those making the allegations persist in spreading what it described as lies, causing irreparable damage to its reputation, it would consider all legal options, including proceedings for damages.

"Lyons Care also invites the DIER to carry out any investigations at Casa Paola as are deemed necessary to ensure that its name is cleared," the statement read. They also invited those making allegations to "bring forward any evidence of wrongdoing in front of the proper authorities."

The company said Casa Paola remained committed to providing a respectful workplace for its staff and the highest standard of care for its residents.

Solidarjeta has said its industrial action directives will remain in force until management formally recognises the union, reinstates any workers whose contracts were not renewed, and begins negotiations on a collective agreement.