MIA rebuts GWU claims over catering premises

Malta International Airport plc yesterday filed a counter-protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court in which it rebutted allegations made against it by the General Workers Union.

MIA told the court that the GWU had claimed that the airport company was purposely delaying the conclusion of a contract with a new contractor in respect of the Runway Bistro.

The company said that it had issued a call for tenders to find a tenant for the catering premises prior to the lapse of the previous tenant's contract.

It did not agree with the union's claim that the EU Directive on the transfer of businesses (as incorporated in the law governing industrial relations) was applicable to this case. No transfer of a business was taking place in respect of the airport catering premises.

Furthermore, even if such directive was applicable (which was not admitted by MIA) there was no doubt that MIA was neither transferring nor receiving any business.

MIA further denied that it had awarded this tender to any prospective tenant. It had merely sent a letter to one of the tenderers asking the latter to commence negotiations with an aim to conclude the lease agreement.

The GWU, said the airport company, was a third party to the contract in terms of which MIA was going to allocate premises.

The union was therefore not entitled to allocate to itself some role in the conclusion of this lease agreement.

This was a commercial issue between MIA and as a result any information was privileged and could not be reviewed by the union or by the Director of Industrial Relations and Employment.

MIA added that the union was merely speculating when it claimed that the company was unduly delaying the process.

The GWU was trying to portray MIA in a bad light. One could not understand how the union could, prior to the new tenant being chosen, reach the conclusion that there was a transfer of a business.

The GWU was just exercising in demagoguery in the local newspapers, and MIA called upon it to stop these unfounded allegations.

Lawyer Louis Degabriele signed the counter-protest.