The General Workers’ Union is still awaiting official replies on the future of Enemalta’s employees working at the Marsa power station after this closes down, according to general secretary Tony Zarb.

The union had been seeking reassurances on the employment of the workers once the extension of the Delimara power station was completed. When Malta connects to the European power grid, the old Marsa plant will be phased out.

Addressing workers outside the Marsa plant, Mr Zarb updated them on the issue the union has with Enemalta Corporation over the transfer of a group of 12 people to the credit control department, whose functions were being taken over by ARMS Ltd, which is collecting revenue on behalf of Enemalta and Water Services Corporations.

The union last week ordered all Enemalta employees to refrain from using the company’s management information system, which forms the basis of its operations ranging from financial administration to stores and street lighting repairs.

This prompted the corporation to file a judicial protest complaining the directives were causing it a lot of damage and calling on the union to withdraw them, saying it would hold the GWU responsible for any financial loss.

Mr Zarb said the workers had received a letter from the management assuring them of their option to have the right of first refusal to join ARMS. However, they were not being allowed to move, with management saying the letter sent in March last year had “expired”, he added.

He said the workers had been left “doing nothing” for more than a year while other employees were doing their work and earning overtime.

Enemalta said the credit control functions had become redundant and the management was redeploying the workers in other sections, on the same salary scale.

Mr Zarb and other union officials had a long meeting to discuss the matter, mainly a union proposal to have a grade for the workers to be transferred to.

The meeting, which ended late on Wednesday evening, will probably resume today when both sides are expected to discuss the corporation’s workings on the union’s proposal.

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