Transport strike lifted

The public transport strike was called off yesterday after four days of chaos on the roads, inconvenience to many, including tourists, and a few ugly incidents.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said at about 6.30 p.m. that the Transport Federation had e-mailed the government saying it agreed to stop the action with the buses resuming the service as usual this morning. Transport Minister Austin Gatt said both the federation and the government accepted that:

• EU rules had to be followed with regard to buses and the distribution of routes.

• Liberalisation had to follow discussion and consultation. (Dr Gatt said consultations would start this morning at 9, continuing throughout the summer with the government making its decisions by the end of summer.)

• The present stock of 404 mini-buses with more than 14 seats would be increased only after consultation.

• The two sides would go to arbitration over the decision by the government to deduct €60,000 daily from the subsidy to the bus owners for the duration of the strike. The federation has argued that, in terms of an existing agreement, the government cannot deduct so much.

• A fresh tender would be issued for transport services from the Park and Ride to Valletta.

Dr Gatt said that an issue that should never have been created was now solved, the road to liberalisation was strengthened and the country would be moving towards it at a faster pace.

Public transport had to be more defined with a national system that would safeguard a number of principles:

• That routes would be determined by the people's needs.

• That the present fleet would be replaced with more modern energy-saving buses, most of them smaller and with a different built.

• There had to be a professional administration.

• The transport system could not depend only on buses but had to be part of an integrated system that would also include ferries, electric taxis and specific tram lines.

Dr Gatt said that following the agreement reached with the Motor Hearses Association, he called Transport Federation president Victor Spiteri who confirmed that the association had left the federation. Mr Spiteri informed the minister to expect a number of proposals that could help solve the situation.

Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Mario de Marco expressed satisfaction that the situation had been solved and reason had prevailed.

The strike, he said, had given tourism a big blow and caused huge inconveniences not just for locals but also for tourists, so much so that several operators had considered stopping their services to Malta and a reduction in air bookings was registered.

Moreover, there had been negative comments in the press about the situation. Certain cruise lines had also been considering stopping their operations to Malta and Dr de Marco expressed concern that the effect of the strike would be felt more in future.

Malta, he said, now had to work to regain what it had lost.

Dr Gonzi said that, following the breakthrough, the country could now concentrate on the radical transformation of the sector and a leap in quality.

The government had always insisted that a solution would only be found round the table and that taking to the streets would only damage the country. He hoped this would serve as an important lesson.