Friday, 9th January 2009 - 11:49CET

PL criticises PM's refusal to meet unions over tariffs

The Labour Party has expressed its disappointment at Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s continuous refusal to meet 11 unions to discuss the new water and electricity tariffs.

Spokesman for social dialogue Gino Cauchi said in a statement that it was not right for Prime Minister to hide behind the Resources Authority to avoid meeting the unions, which had shown maturity and based their arguments on correct figures and studies carried out by serious economists.

The Prime Minister’s refusal to meet unions was a show of arrogance and the wrong international prices of oil the government gave the unions did not justify the its position in the matter.

The opposition was willing to continue dialoguing with unions as it had been doing for the past weeks and would be presenting their position in Parliament, Mr Cauchi said.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Monday, November 23, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Mike Magri (on 10/1/09)

THIS IS NOTHING BUT A COPY OF THATCHER`S MOVES TO BREAK UP THE UNIONS...

Joseoh Dalli (on 9/1/09)

Ghal Gonzi-PN, il-familji huma problema TEKNIKA u mhux socjali.
"Morru ghand ir-Regolatur! Trid xi Jaguar ohra Austin jew ghal Dar Malta inti?" GonziPN

.........................................par idejn sodi.............................................

A.Gauci Cunningham (on 9/1/09)

lAbela---are you serious??? Stop the arrogance??? Let me remind you how this saga evolved
1----Gonzi gave 5 choices of which only 1 was possible--Hobson's choice---arrogance
2---Gonzi failed to draw a social impact assesment to evaluate the burdens--arrogance
3----Gonzi gave power-point presentations and ignored civil society---arrogance
4---Gonzi warned about the effect on Hotels, self-employed, ST and factories---Gonzi ignores--arrogance
5---Gonzi tells us that retroactivity was removed---big, fat lie---arrogance
6---Gonzi lies about the amount of ppl. who would benefit from the eco-reduction---arrogance
7---Gonzi gives himself a 290 euro increase while all this unfolds---arrogance

...........and the worst of all is the way Gonzi is trying to stifle people's worries and complaints by throwing expensive projects at us...........projects which curiously enough he ""forgot"" to mention in last October's budget!!

I Abela (on 9/1/09)

Well done to Dr. Gonzi. He knows that the unions are a bunch of people BLA SINSLA and he is rightly using this fact to shy away from further meetings. Apparently the unions are going to the gun fight with a knife. Come on unions. Stop this arrogance. Bring the country to a halt, and then you may get your meeting. If not, then shut up, and give the membership money back to your members, and go to sleep.

Maria Dolores Fenech (on 9/1/09)

How different is Dr Gonzi from Dr Fenech Adami! PN is no longer IL-PARTIT TAD-DJALOGU. Before stepping down from President of Malta will Dr Fenech Adami intervene to make the Dr Gonzi see sense?

@ Igalea and Arthur Ellul
GonziPN and AustinPM!

Mike Magri (on 9/1/09)

Simple Gianninu Saliba... ANZI... Very Simple....

The UHM & the CMTU, plus some others `Tac-Cekcik`, see Absolutely NOTHING WRONG.. (.!!!!!) in the new and Exorbant Utility Bills. That`s why the PL is not taking their side, as having any talks with them means an exercise in futility, as it is in vain to have ANY such talks with such organizations, because when to them, GonziPN is right in issuing these bills...!!!!

Mhux hekk Ganninu..

Emmanuel Xuereb (on 9/1/09)

Before the elections - Flimkien kollox possibli
After the elections - Wahidna naghmlu li rridu.

Joe Galea (on 9/1/09)

@ Ganninu Saliba: PL is on the right side. Those who say that the W/E new tariffs are just or needed or whatever excuse they come up with, they do so as they are blindfolded by their partisan euphoria. Reality is that we have to pay much more while consuming much less.

@P M Psaila: I can't understand your reasoning, since whatever PL says which goes against PN then it is riding the bandwagon, opportunism, politics of no, etc. Where does democracy falls in your blue sphere? PL is just voicing the citizens o good will who are being squeezed by an undemocratic arrogant government. Yes...xejn gdid.....GonziPn's arrogance knows no limits!!

@Duncan Sant: I have checked the website and in any combination I have to pay much more.

Mario Farrugia (on 9/1/09)

Yes sure, bring on a General Strike......that will surely be of great help in bringing in the much needed foreign investment towards Malta during this dificult global econmic climate.....

Gianninu Saliba (on 9/1/09)

So now we know why the unions are trying to cause trouble, right from the horse's mouth. "The opposition was willing to continue dialoguing with unions as it had been doing for the past weeks and would be presenting their position in Parliament, Mr Cauchi said." Why has the PL, including Mr. Cauchi, taken the side of the 11 Unions and not that taken by the Confederation of Trade Unions and UHM?

Duncan Sant (on 9/1/09)

Not really on the subject, but one can check the utility bills and compare the new bills with the old by clicking on this link : http://www.mybill.com.mt/

Now no-one will have any surprises and you can also calculate where you can save some money.

If the government is refusing to talk to the unions, I take it that the tariffs are here to stay.... so all one can do is consume the least possible...

joe chircop (on 9/1/09)

Well, if the Government sticks to its guns and the tariffs remain as they are, then the message to the common citizen is ONE: Be WISE on how and when to spend your money!!!!

P M Psaila (on 9/1/09)

Isa hej what a surprise!

Labour waited for the appropriate moment to jump on the bandwagon to look popular!

Xejn gdid!

Mike Magri (on 9/1/09)

I think it`s ENOUGH with `Ivitations` for Talks and Procrastinations... !!!!!!!!

Our next step is, and Should Be CONCRETE ACTIONS By All Concerned...

Meaning... A GENERAL STRIKE and NO PAYMENT OF W. & E. BILLS..... PERIOD.....

Arthur Ellul (on 9/1/09)

Well then, If neither the Prime Minister No 1 Dr L. Gonzi doesn't want to hear, nor does his assistance Prime Minister No 2, Dr. Austin Gatt,

then all that is left is the 11 unions together to stand off and show their strenght.

Call a General Strike, the sooner the better, and they will know what the people's real choices are.

We will show them come the European Parliamentary elections,

Nazzjonalisti, morru vvutawlhom igru, forsi tingabru bhal issa.

F Spiteri (on 9/1/09)

Absolutely arrogant! 11 unions united to represent our interests, and here we have a government who is refusing to meet them ....Arrogant & anti-democratic in all aspects!!!!!
Gone with the wind are the comments like "vicin il-poplu", "gejjieni fis-sod", "finanzi fis-sod" and "flimkien kollox possibli". Qed taghzaq wahdek Dr. Gonzi!!!!

lgalea (on 9/1/09)

We can clearly see who is the real PM

D Ellul (on 9/1/09)

It was clear from the very beginning that the government was not going back on his proposed energy tariffs. When prime minister no 2 is involved, we don't expect any better!

PL criticises PM's refusal to meet unions over tariffs

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