GRTU, MMA at loggerheads again

Just a week after the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) and Malta Maritime Authority chairman Marc Bonello hit the headlines over the threat of a strike by the stevedores represented by the chamber, they were at loggerheads again yesterday over a disputed new port tariffs regime.

The chamber's director-general, Vince Farrugia, launched a fierce attack on the port reform during a press conference in the morning, raising the alarm that a new tariffs regime announced by terminal operators recently may raise port tariffs by as much as 40 per cent, per container, for imports and 91 per cent, per container, for exports.

But the MMA chairman rebutted the claim outright, saying he could not understand what the GRTU was driving at, other than to try to deflect attention from its members' issues with the port reform, since he had explained the state of play just a few hours before.

The new tariffs come into effect after a notice the MMA sent to the terminal operators and would fix the maximum charges some five per cent less than they are right now, he said.

Mr Farrugia said that the new tariffs announced by the Valletta and Freeport terminal operators could cause the cost of cargo handling to shoot up, for instance, from Lm131 to Lm185 (Lm54 or by about 40 per cent) on 20-foot containers, when the cost of the shipping agents was considered.

But Dr Bonello insisted that this reading of the new system did not account for the fact that the role of the shipping agents would change and that they would no longer be involved with cargo handling, so they would not be charging importers for it.

"The shipping agents would only be dealing with their business, the shipment of freight, but not cargo handling, despite what GRTU may insist on assuming," he said.

"Frankly, I have no other option but to suspect that the GRTU has something else in mind, since I explained this to them just a few hours before they gave the press conference."

"At this stage, the new tariffs represent a reduction of some five per cent," he continued. "There is more we will be doing in the future but you certainly cannot argue that this is an increase."

Asked whether the shipping agents have been consulted about the changes, given that this was another charge by the GRTU, Dr Bonello said that he was just on the line with the president of the shipping agents' association who assured him that it was clear to them that they would no longer be involved in cargo handling.

A meeting is scheduled between the authority and the shipping agents to clarify some final issues.

During its press conference the GRTU announced that the stevedores would not be making any payments or collecting new containers until the matter was clarified as from tomorrow.

"We are open for discussion even if it takes place tomorrow (today) but we are not ready to accept the situation as it is unless there is some explaining," Mr Farrugia insisted during the press conference.

On his part Dr Bonello, said he would like to reiterate his call for the GRTU to deal with these matter round a table rather than jumping the gun and crying wolf before checking its facts.