Adds comments by the Prime Minister:

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said today that oil prices were expected to continue to rise, and the government was helping the economy to deal with them.

Speaking at a PN activity in Paola, Mr Fenech hit out at the unsigned report on the tariffs prepared by the Ghaqda Trade Unions Maltin and said it made no mention of the measures being taken by the government to ease the impact of the tariffs on the people.

Mr Fenech said that state subsidies of tariffs were detrimental to the economy. What did the unions and the Opposition want? Did they want subsidies and higher taxation to pay for them? Or did they want a higher national debt for further generations to pay? Were that to happen, Malta would then end up with the same situation that Greece was now in.

Mr Fenech said the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) was well aware of the impact of the new tariffs. It also knew that rather than subsidies, what was needed was to further boost the economy so that it would be able to cope with oil prices which were expected to continue to increase - rising to as much as $110 to $130 next year. The government was therefore also assisting particular economic sectors to grow, despite higher oil prices.

Mr Fenech argued that the GWU was only holding this afternoon's protest because somebody had 'pulled strings'.

Mr Fenech said it was important that investors were given the right message about the situation in the country. Those who were supposed to represent the workers should learn how to spell 'Jobs' and not speak of doom and gloom which only served to dampen demand and investment.

He said that last week he even had to send a message to the GWU asking it to reduce the volume of loudspeakers at its headquarters because that was not what investors liked to hear when they called at his office (across the road).

Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo said there was no fighting or discord within the PN. MPs aired their views in the service of the public. But, he said, street protests such as that of this afternoon, were detrimental to the country.

He was confident, he said, that in three years' time, the Nationalist government would be able to face the elections with its head held high. And people needed to be reassured that the election would not come sooner.

The activity was also addressed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who said that since 1998 the number of full time private sector jobs had increased by a net 21,000. Since EU membership in 2004, the full time gainfully occupied increased by 14,000. All this had happened despite the privatisation of the dockyard ad the closure of several factories and a record number of people retiring on reaching the retirement age.

Dr Gonzi said that in a few months' time he would be leading a delegation to the Gulf seeking investment.

All this was being done because the government's focus was on jobs, not street protests and theatrics, Dr Gonzi said.

"The difference between us and them is that we are building the country while the others run it down and complain of mediocrity," Dr Gonzi said.

What sort of mediocrity was this when the concerns which investors had was about finding enough workers, and where accountancy firms sought to contract university students in only their first year?

With regard to the tariffs, what the unions and Joseph Muscat should be telling the people was that the government would give the people €17 million to cushion the impact of the tariffs, Dr Gonzi said. This allowance would cover almost all the increase in the bills. So what were they protesting about?

Businesses were being given generous tax credits in order to invest and employ more people. Millions were also being spent to promote Malta abroad and attract more tourists and airlines. So, again, why the protests.

Direct government assistance last year saved 2,500 jobs in manufacturing industry and generated new investment. So could anyone explain what was the justification for the protest?

The answer, Dr Gonzi said, was that it was in the interest of the Opposition to harm the country. But it would not succeed because the government was confident in the country and its people and the people would give a satisfactory reply in three years' time at the polls.