Labour to seek justice for wronged civil servants

The Labour deputy leader for Parliamentary Affairs, Charles Mangion, has reiterated his party's pledge to redress the injustices that public service workers have suffered under the present administration.

During a radio interview yesterday, Dr Mangion said Labour would identify and review all injustices people had suffered in recent years and ensure that justice was done.

Dr Mangion said the pre-budget document published by the government earlier this month offered no practical solution to the country's problems and he challenged the government to state whether it intended to raise VAT from 18 to 25 per cent after the next election.

On tourism, Dr Mangion called the Brand Malta campaign a national joke, as the government was squandering money on useless initiatives instead of tackling the crisis.

He also questioned whether outgoing Malta Tourism Authority chairman and chief executive Romwald Lungaro Mifsud had resigned voluntarily or whether the government had sacked him.

The Times revealed last week that Mr Lungaro Mifsud would continue to collect his Lm25,000-a-year salary until the end of March despite the fact that he is stepping down from the post at the end of this month.

However, Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech had denied that the pay-off was evidence that Mr Lungaro Mifsud had in fact been sacked.

"Nobody forced him to go but we discussed the options of his resignation and we felt it was ethical to honour his contract," Dr Zammit Dimech had told The Times.