Union leaders make sworn statement over MRA meeting outcome

Fourteen union leaders yesterday took an affidavit on what was said in a meeting with the Malta Resources Authority last week and reiterated their call for the entire board to resign.

The trade unions are insisting that the regulator promised to revise water and electricity bills retroactively to October 1. But the MRA maintains no such agreement was reached during the meeting. The MRA chairman has already declared he will not resign.

The union leaders made their sworn statement at the law courts registry. They included the general secretary of the General Workers' Union, Tony Zarb, his deputy Geitu Mercieca, Malta Union of Teachers president John Bencini and the president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Paul Pace.

Outside the courts, Mr Zarb told journalists they had taken the affidavit based on what they were told at the meeting. He said the dilly-dallying over the energy tariffs was causing undue uncertainty on consumers.

The dispute over what was said at the meeting is just the last in a saga that has been going on since the revision of the water and electricity rates was first announced in October.

The government has now announced the rates will be revised downwards as from March but the unions insist they should be reduced from October.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the Chamber of Small and Medium Businesses - GRTU had a meeting with the MRA during which it protested over the way the tariffs were drawn up.

The GRTU said its director-general, Vince Farrugia, told the regulator that the model used for the new tariffs was wrong and adversely affected small businesses. He also criticised the MRA over how it had handled the issue.