The Union Haddiema Maghqudin is determined to go ahead with its industrial action at Gozo Channel as from tomorrow unless a satisfactory proposal is received by the company, a union spokesman said this afternoon.

"We have been waiting for months, no counter proposal has been received. We sought direct talks and only got invited to a conciliation meeting tomorrow," union spokesman Jesmond Bonello said.

"We are not prepared to hold conciliation talks while industrial action is underway," he added.

The UHM announced the industrial action yesterday, saying that months of waiting for realistic proposals from the company for the conclusion of talks on the collective agreement had not borne fruit.

The last agreement expired in 2008. The two sides are disagreeing on pay issues.

The warning that industrial action could disrupt ferry services has drawn protests from the Gozitan business community, since Carnival weekend is among the busiest in Gozo during winter.

The Gozo Business Chamber (GBC) this morning expressed "regret and utter dismay" that the UHM is resorting to industrial action.

"Without going into the merits of the current issues of the collective agreement between the union and the government, the GBC wants to point out that the action being taken will be of great harm the economy of Gozo at such a delicate time. The carnival period is one of the highlight events in winter for the Gozitan businesses and a disruption in the service will leave huge financial consequences in the Gozitan economy, especially in the current difficult times that Malta and Gozo are facing," it said.

Most of the directives issued to the various staff are mainly to "go slow". However, the ferry service may not be able to operate because the boat's engineers and sailors were ordered not to replenish the ship's fresh water supply. The water is used in the ship's plumbing system and in the machinery.

Failure to replenish it would mean that the engines could not operate and that the ferry could not run.

List of union directives to Gozo Channel employees

• Ticket sellers and front desk staff are to “go slow” and not answer telephones.

• Terminal duty officers are to “go slow”, not answer telephones and communicate only with the captain via VHS radio and with no other official.

• Mooring men and terminal assistants are to “go slow”. They can only moor and must not use the tow motor or offer the baggage service onto the ferry.

• Cleaners must carry the full garbage bags to the end of the ship’s ramp and must not dump these in the skips situated at the terminal.

• Staff who work at the cafeteria have to “go slow” and must not restock the shelves or refill the fridges.

• Seamen and engineers have to go slow and must not replenish the fresh water supply of the ferry.