Freeport gets additional port workers
Malta Freeport operators have expressed relief after an agreement was reached with the government allowing them to use their own workers to drive trucks on the quays in the terminal when there are not enough port workers to cope with demand. This is a...
Malta Freeport operators have expressed relief after an agreement was reached with the government allowing them to use their own workers to drive trucks on the quays in the terminal when there are not enough port workers to cope with demand. This is a temporary arrangement until such time as there are sufficient port workers to meet the growing demands of the Freeport.
This is the second breakthrough in as many weeks. The recent port reform agreement created the category of prospective and auxiliary port workers, who will be allowed to drive the trucks within the terminal, solving a problem that was reaching critical levels, Freeport sources said.
Last January, the Freeport had had to turn away ships because it needed 84 more port workers. With throughput growing constantly, that requirement has already gone up to over 100.
"The prospective port workers scheme had been our idea, agreed with the port workers in October 2004 - but it has taken over two and a half years to come to fruition. In the meantime, business has been suffering.
"The scheme came into effect on July 1 and we got 50 prospectives - but that is not enough and we have agreed with port workers to source additional manpower," Freeport sources said.
Talks ensued with the government and the Freeport was told they could temporarily use their own workers when the need arose, as happens - and has always been the case - in Valletta. "There were times when we have had as many as 15 workers missing from each shift for various reasons. This causes delays and disruption, which is simply not acceptable to shipping lines, especially as there are other ports vying for their business," the sources said.
One of those ports is Tangiers, in which CMA CGM recently acquired shareholding.
"Our shareholders simply couldn't tolerate the situation any longer. Besides being treated differently from the Valletta terminal operator (where the terminal's employees have been allowed by the Malta Maritime Authority to carry out truck driving duties since the times of the Cargo Handling Company), they cannot understand why anyone would hold them back when all they want to do is to create employment and increase throughput. They do not see why political sensitivities should have an impact on their considerable investment."
Asked to comment on the impact of the recently announced reform, the Freeport sources said that it was early to judge the effectiveness of the proposed changes. The increase in numbers was only one aspect of the changes the Freeport would have liked to see as a result of the reform.
This is the second breakthrough in as many weeks. The recent port reform agreement created the category of prospective and auxiliary port workers, who will be allowed to drive the trucks within the terminal, solving a problem that was reaching critical levels, Freeport sources said.
Last January, the Freeport had had to turn away ships because it needed 84 more port workers. With throughput growing constantly, that requirement has already gone up to over 100.
"The prospective port workers scheme had been our idea, agreed with the port workers in October 2004 - but it has taken over two and a half years to come to fruition. In the meantime, business has been suffering.
"The scheme came into effect on July 1 and we got 50 prospectives - but that is not enough and we have agreed with port workers to source additional manpower," Freeport sources said.
Talks ensued with the government and the Freeport was told they could temporarily use their own workers when the need arose, as happens - and has always been the case - in Valletta. "There were times when we have had as many as 15 workers missing from each shift for various reasons. This causes delays and disruption, which is simply not acceptable to shipping lines, especially as there are other ports vying for their business," the sources said.
One of those ports is Tangiers, in which CMA CGM recently acquired shareholding.
"Our shareholders simply couldn't tolerate the situation any longer. Besides being treated differently from the Valletta terminal operator (where the terminal's employees have been allowed by the Malta Maritime Authority to carry out truck driving duties since the times of the Cargo Handling Company), they cannot understand why anyone would hold them back when all they want to do is to create employment and increase throughput. They do not see why political sensitivities should have an impact on their considerable investment."
Asked to comment on the impact of the recently announced reform, the Freeport sources said that it was early to judge the effectiveness of the proposed changes. The increase in numbers was only one aspect of the changes the Freeport would have liked to see as a result of the reform.