16 May 2012 | 17:24
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The Union Haddiema maghqudin (UHM) has called off industrial action at the Gozo Channel Company Limited that provides the ferry service between Malta and Gozo.
UHM said Friday evening that agreement has been reached on a new collective agreement for the Gozo Channel Company Limited employees that will be explained to them in the coming days.
Gozo Channel on Friday evening said that to make Gozo more accessible for the Carnival weekend between the 19th February and the 20th February 2012 it will be performing an additional trip early Sunday and Monday morning, leaving Mgarr, Gozo at 02.30am hours and departing Cirkewwa, Malta at 03.00am hours.
A meeting has taken place between government and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) to try and find a way out of the impasse between the union and the Gozo Channel Company Limited that operates the ferry service between Malta and Gozo. This afternoon the UHM will inform its members about the outcome of the talks with government.
The Gozo ferry service continued to be provided today even if the dispute between the employees' unions and the Gozo Channel Company Limited has not been resolved. The UHM will today present new proposals in a bid to reach a final settlement on the disputes of salary arrears and a new collective agreement. At a meeting held on Thursday evening with the Gozo Channel employees the UHM decided that the latest proposals offered by the company are unacceptable and even inferior to other proposals presented earlier by the company.
UHM said that if its new proposals are not accepted by the company it will call another meeting with its employees to revise the situation.
On Thursday the General Workers Union (GWU) told its members to follow any directives issued by the Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) in its disputes with the Gozo Channel Company Limited regarding salary arrears and a new collective agreement.
At the same time the GWU appealed to UHM and Gozo Channel Company Limited to solve the dispute amicably for the common good.
Efforts are underway to get the Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) not to take industrial action today and disrupt the ferry service between Malta and Gozo. UHM intends to take industrial action if the Gozo Channel Company Limted will do nothing to solve the dispute over a new collective agreement. The last one expired in 2008 and the UHM said on Wednesday it has been waiting for months to hear new proposals from the company. If industrial action is averted, the rough sea might still disrupt the ferry service although this morning it was running as usual.
Yesterday UHM complained that instead of receiving any proposals to unblock the situation, it has only received a request to attend a conciliation meeting today. UHM’s spokesman Jesmond Bonello said: "We are not prepared to hold conciliation talks while industrial action is underway."
On Wednesday the Gozo Business Chamber (GBC) said it is dismayed that the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin (UĦM) is resorting to industrial action and hitting the transport service between Malta and Gozo provided by Gozo Channel Company Limited because of the dispute over the collective agreement.
Comments
Comments (4)
waters
- Thu 16-Feb-2012, 16:01Please go and tell it to GOVANNA....she can solve everything..... After all nearly all the Gozo channel sailors KNOW her.
C. FARRUGIA
- Thu 16-Feb-2012, 10:18It this the time to ask for increases in wages when the conditions of employment of millions of European workers including other Maltese are accepting or having to accept reductions to save their jobs.
ganon
- Thu 16-Feb-2012, 09:34Holl xaghrek u gib iz-zejt kieku kienet il-GWU li ordanat dawn l-azzjonijiet industijali.Ara kemm kien ikun hemm pampaluni tal-€500 li jikkundannaw dawn l-azzjonijiet.Tghid se naraw l-istess storja li rajna fit-2008 fejn il-UHM ghamlet agreements mal gvern qabel l-elezzjoni.Differenza wahda hemm li segretarju issa ma hemmx wiehed li talab 9 liri zieda fi zmien gvern laburista.
HAWKEYE
- Thu 16-Feb-2012, 09:03ALTHOUGH THE GOZITAN ECONOMY WILL SUFFER MY FEELINGS ARE WITH THE WORKERS,THEY HAVE BEEN BEING TAKEN FOR A RIDE TOO LONG NOW,HENCE HIT THE COMPANY WHERE IT HURTS MOST! WONDER WHEN THE PM AND HIS MINISTERS TOOK THIS LONG TO GIVE THEMSELVES A RAISE?SOON WE WILL BE HEARING THAT GOZO CHANNEL IS LOSING MONEY AND THE WORKERS WILL BE AT FAULT.WHEN MALTA DRYDOCKS WAS A GOVERMENT OWNED ENTITY,EVERYTIME A FERRY WENT INTO THE DRYDOCK FOR MAINTENANCE AND IT HAS TO BE DONE ONCE A YEAR,IT WAS ALWAYS SIGNED OFF OS A DRYDOCK LOSS,NOW THE COMPANY WILL HAVE TO FORK OUT MONEY TO THE ITALIAN OWNERS WHICH WILL SHOW INCREASED OVERHEAD.THE WORKERS HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT IF THEY FOLLOW THE UHM DIRECTIVE,MOST IF NOT ALL WERE EMPLOYED BECAUSE OF THEIR POLITICAL BELIEFS AS IN PN, THIS SITUATION IS NOTHING LIKE SEA MALTA WHERE THE GWU WAS PUT IN A SITUATION THAT IT WAS THE UNION'S FAULT THAT THE COMPANY WASN'T MAKING ENOUGH MONEY.
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