Hearses owners ready to call off strike if ministry holds talks

The president of the Malta Hearses Association, John Bray, said today that his association would definitely go on strike unless the Transport Ministry agreed to a meeting before 6 a.m. on Monday.

Mr Bray told a press conference that the granting of new licences for hearses was an injustice because it violated an agreement reached with former Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett. He said owners had invested between Lm40,000 and Lm45,000 each over the past few years on condition that no new licences were issued.

Mr Bray said the market could not support new operators, and indeed, the current operators already had an uphill task, with only between five and six hearses operating every day.

He insisted that liberalization of the service given by the hearses would not make funerals cheaper. That would only happen if the government regulated undertakers.

The government yesterday denied that an agreement existed for no new licences to be granted. It also pointed out that the hearses were replaced after registration tax was waived. In contrast, new hearses are subject to a registration tax of 30 percent.