Regulator does study on impact of utility bills
MRA, unions meeting today
The Malta Resources Authority has completed a study on the impact of the new utility bills on domestic users and wants to present its findings to social partners.
Authority chairman Carmel Ellul requested a meeting in a letter he sent to Malta Council for Economic and Social Development chairman Sonny Portelli yesterday.
Mr Ellul said the authority wanted to submit its analysis of the impact of water and electricity tariffs on the domestic sector and its proposals for the future regulation of tariffs.
The request comes before today's meeting between the authority and officials of 11 unions, who are questioning the impact of the new bills.
The unions had originally wanted to meet Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi over the issue but he turned down their request, insisting they meet the authority.
On January 2, they held a press conference to say action will be taken unless Dr Gonzi agreed to meet them within the week. But he again turned their offer down and urged them to meet the authority.
Gathered on the steps of Castille on January 9, the unions instructed consumers to delay paying their dues until the end of the 45-day window provided by Enemalta Corporation and the Water Services Corporation.
Soon after, the unions realised they had nothing to lose by meeting the authority so they wrote to the chairman asking for clarifications on the process that led to the revision of the utility bills.
They asked the authority to supply a full chronological account of the revision process, including all instances where the authority was involved directly. The meeting will be held this afternoon.
The Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions and one of its affiliates, the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, are not part of this delegation because they had come out in favour of the final tariff package.
However, in the latest twist, following an MCESD meeting on Wednesday, the UĦM called on the government to revise the tariffs immediately, after March was mentioned as the next revision date.
The UĦM's new position was characterised as a U-turn by the GWU's daily paper l-orizzont, which featured the story prominently on its front page yesterday - upside down. It sparked off a nasty exchange of public statements between the two.