Enemalta-GWU talks to continue

Conciliation talks between Enemalta and the General Workers Union over the staff complement and temporary suspension of aviation section workers resumed yesterday morning at the Office of Industrial Relations and Employment in Valletta.

The talks, involving Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone and chief executive Ray Attard, a representative of the IT and Investments Ministry, GWU deputy general secretary Emmanuel Micallef and section secretary Gejtu Mercieca, had started on Friday evening after the two parties agreed to resolve pending issues through conciliation.

The major outstanding issue relates to the complement of workers at Enemalta's generation division and aviation section, over which the union ordered directives at Malta International Airport and the Marsa power station.

Another issue over which the two parties failed to agree yesterday related to Enemalta's decision to suspend aviation workers on deciding to halt the aircraft refuelling service at MIA.

The industrial action had included directives issued on Monday to aviation section workers, which led to a temporary stoppage in the aircraft refuelling service - causing aircraft to be diverted to other airports - and a "fuel strike" on Friday that caused panic buying at petrol stations.

Before agreeing to conciliation on Friday afternoon, the GWU and the government chided each other and said they would only budge if the other gave in first. They also accused each other of taking "illegal" action.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Micallef said it appeared that the management had started to gain a better understanding of the union's point of view but there was "still a long way to go".

Yesterday's meeting resumed at 11 a.m. and was adjourned at 2 p.m. Talks should resume tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, some 50 trips were made from the Enemalta storage plant to 47 fuel stations around Malta till late at night to make up for Friday's panic buying after which stations soon ran out of fuel.

Distribution contractors worked till 2 a.m. yesterday to make sure fuel stations would have an adequate fuel stock for the weekend.