Directive to water, transport workers

Water Services Corporation and the Transport Authority employees were yesterday instructed by their union not to attend a meeting informing them of their transfer back to government employment.

The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin said it issued this directive because it was not consulted before the transfer decision was taken by the two companies.

It said it was prepared to discuss the issue with the authorities concerned.

Earlier this week the General Workers' Union accused the corporation of breaching the collective agreement by using an arbitrary system to do away with about 300 workers and transfer them to the civil service. It called on the workers to ignore the transfer letters they received from the corporation and to continue to report to work as usual.

But a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister said the number of workers was in fact 190, and insisted that the corporation did not breach any collective agreement.

The spokesman said an exercise was initiated in 2005 with the aim of identifying those employees who are surplus to the needs and requirements of the organisation following the merger of the drainage department with the WSC.

"This exercise was required in order to be able to plan better investments in the operations, as well as the improvements in work methods," the spokesman said, adding that the GWU was always aware of the process and this had been discussed during the negotiations leading to the collective agreement. He said this exercise was part of a continuous improvement process that the corporation carries out in order to reduce its costs in the provision of its services.

The spokesman said a process is being carried out to identify the skills of each individual and match, as far as possible, the skills and potential with existing vacancies. Interviews currently underway should help the Management and Personnel Office within the OPM in the deployment exercise.