MHRA yet to decide on street protest participation

The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association is yet to decide whether to take part in a protest being organised by a number of trade unions against the new utility tariffs.

The association's chief executive, George Schembri, accepted the formal invitation to the protest from the general secretary of the General Workers' Union, Tony Zarb, but said participation would have to be discussed by the council.

Until yesterday, only the Labour Party and Alternattiva Demokratika had declared they would join the Għaqda Unions Maltin in the protest in Valletta on February 28.

The Confederation of Malta Trade Unions, which includes the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin and the Medical Association of Malta, has already declared it will not be attending deeming street protests as causing more harm than good.

Mr Schembri declined to comment when asked whether he agreed with this statement. He just said the MHRA had already protested about the tariffs during a Malta Council for Economic and Social Development meeting.

In fact, the association has been vociferous about its disagreement with the latest hike, which came into effect on January 1.

In an opinion piece published in The Times yesterday, MHRA president George Micallef said the new rates would increase operational costs for his association's members by an estimated €7 million.

Referring to the agreement between the association and the government over the introduction of measures to soften the impact of the tariffs on the tourism industry, Mr Micallef said this did not mean the association was agreeing with the tariffs but felt that this was an opportunity that would help the industry cope with the impact. Mr Schembri echoed these comments yesterday, adding that the association was waiting for the government to make its counter proposals to those it had made, which included assistance to introduce alternative energy measures.

Mr Zarb said the unions were inviting everyone to the protest because the utility tariffs were affecting everyone, including industry, workers, their families and pensioners.

He said the protest would call on MPs to think about the extra burdens the new rates would place on families before they cast their vote at the end of a parliamentary debate on the tariffs that would start the day after the protest.

The protest will also urge political parties to give their MPs a free vote on the motion presented by the Labour Party, which calls for the revocation of the legal notice that brought the tariffs into force.