Sea Malta sale to go ahead

Atlantica di Navigazione SpA will take over Sea Malta on November 18 after the government and the General Workers' Union announced separately that an agreement on the future of the workers had been reached at a meeting yesterday morning.

Last month, Atlantica initialled an agreement to buy the government's 69 per cent share in Sea Malta and an agreement with the GWU was seen as the last hurdle to finalising the deal.

One of the pending issues had been the employees' tour of duty.

While workers currently enjoyed a tour of duty of 15 days on, 15 days off, the Italian firm had proposed four months on, four months off. Later it proposed that workers could opt for a tour of duty of four months on, two months off or two months on, one month off.

The ministry said yesterday that the company and the GWU would discuss in detail the new seafarers' duties in line with the second offer.

In the meantime, there will be a transition period between the current system of 15 days on/15 days off and the new one. This period will end on December 31.

The GWU said, however, that through the agreement reached seafarers will continue to enjoy all the onditions stipulated in the current collective agreement.

Asked whether this meant that workers would be retaining the 15 days on/15 days off tour of duty, GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said it did.

He said this system was to be retained at least until the end of the year but discussions on possible alternatives were to start with the company immediately.

Atlantica representative Ernest Sullivan said when contacted that according to the agreement reached the existing tour of duty of 15 days off/15 days on was being retained until the end of December, as a gesture of goodwill.

By January 1, all workers had to indicate in writing whether they were opting for the four months on/two months off, two months on/one month off tour of duty or any other mutually agreed system.

Mr Sullivan said that if a better alternative was found, the company was willing to take it on but it had to be justified and beneficial for the company.

The ministry said yesterday the government was satisfied that the GWU had confirmed its agreement to all the government's proposals on the future of Sea Malta.

It said that in the 45-minute meeting between the government, the union and the company, it was confirmed that:

¤ The company will take on up to a maximum of 12 shore-based workers.

¤ All the other shore-based workers will be redeployed with the government or its entities.

¤ Atlantica will take on all but seven seafarers.

¤ These seven seafarers had, following an internal call among government entities weeks ago, applied to work with the Maritime Authority and Gozo Channel and, since they had the necessary qualifications, they were being transferred to these companies.

The ministry said the government considered the discussions on the privatisation of Sea Malta closed and appreciated the fact that the deadline it had established was kept. This facilitated the transfer process which had to start in the coming weeks.

The GWU said that its insistence for an urgent meeting to find a solution to the issue regarding the future of Sea Malta workers once the company is privatised had borne fruit as an agreement on the pending points was reached.

Mr Zarb said the agreement reached showed how right the GWU had been to insist on an urgent meeting.

It also proved that the GWU sought discussions around the table as its preferred option and once it found cooperation and goodwill, it did not resort to other legitimate actions.

Labour Party deputy leader Charles Mangion strongly and without any reservation condemned the way Sea Malta workers were being treated by the government.

He said that the ultimatum by Investments Minister Austin Gatt to the workers had been a manifestation of "institutionalised arrogance", where the government negotiated with a foreign company without any regard for workers' rights.