UHM against demotions at Maltapost
"Not an option" - Joe Morana
The Union Haddiema Maghqudin was dead set against any demotions or redundancies of Maltapost employees even if the 160 ex-government employees, who need to be shed to make the company viable, did not return to government employment by Friday.
So far just 18 employees have taken up the offer to return and UHM section secretary Joe Morana was noncommittal as to whether or not he felt more would accept to go back.
Reacting to The Times interview with Maltapost chief executive Rob Lake on Sat-urday, Mr Morana insisted the union had never agreed on downgrading workers, even if the shortfall of people returning to government remained.
In the interview Mr Lake said that: "...we have agreed with the union about the need to reorganise the business and in that case seniority applies. In the end we might need to downgrade some workers."
Mr Morana objected to this last sentence and reiterated that downgrading was never an option.
"If the 160 employees are not absorbed by the government by Friday then we will have to reopen our talks with the government and the company to determine the next best step," he said.
UHM, which acquired sole recognition of Maltapost employees last October, has been in a long-standing dispute after the company announced it had a surplus of 266 workers under its restructuring plan.
Earlier this year the government attempted to defuse the situation and committed itself to assume responsibility for 160 ex-government employees.
Subsequently, a letter was sent to about 300 ex-government employees asking them to declare whether or not they wished to return to government employment.
Mr Morana said that last Friday the union had convened a meeting for all ex-government employees, union members and not, to clarify any doubts about returning to government employment.
The two-hour meeting was described as extremely successful, with over 200 ex-government employees turning up to ask questions.
Mr Morana said the question which preoccupied most workers was the issue of whether they would lose out on the service pension - this would not be lost, he said.
Mr Morana said the excess of employees who had to be shed were in the grades of postal operators.