The General Workers’ Union has ordered Arriva employees, especially bus drivers, not to accept rosters with more than one split shift after Thursday.

Transport service provider Arriva has been informed in writing of the directive.

Secretary General Tony Zarb was speaking during the biennial conference of the union’s transport section, where he pointed out that if a break was longer than one hour, it qualified as a split shift.

Drivers’ rosters had been changed to reduce the number of split shifts after 108 bus drivers did not turn up on the first day of work in protest against the shifts.

The GWU and Arriva agreed on a temporary roster until a better, longer term roster was put in place but a large portion of the drivers still chose to abandon the company.

Mr Zarb also criticised the long time employees spent waiting in the scorching sun to swap places with other drivers. Arriva had to address this issue urgently, especially before the onset of bad weather.

Mr Zarb also insisted foreign Arriva drivers working on the island were doing so with the blessing of the GWU.

“As soon as GWU says these workers are not to continue working in Malta, they would be asked to return to the UK by the unions that represent them,” he said.

Mr Zarb repeated his appeal for unity among Arriva employees when he spoke about the unsatisfactory proposal made to Air Malta workers.

Mr Zarb said the GWU had not yet been presented with an acceptable proposal about the voluntary retirement scheme.

What had been offered up until now was “far” from what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had insisted upon, when he reiterated that the schemes for Air Malta workers would be similar to those offered to Drydock workers, he added.

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