The Lotto Receivers Union has joined the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) to strengthen its hand in a dispute with the lotteries company, Maltco.

The decision was taken during an extraordinary general meeting when members voted in favour of the union’s affiliation with the GRTU.

GRTU official Joe Attard said that after the lotto receivers became affiliates, he immediately requested an urgent meeting with the company to discuss pending issues.

One of the main bones of contention is the guarantee the lotto receivers give the company as a sort of assurance for the money they owe.

Mr Attard explained that some 180 receivers are part of a collective guarantee while the rest, about 31, have guarantees that they discuss individually with Maltco.

He said the receivers all wanted to form part of this collective guarantee but the company was refusing to allow this.

Moreover, some of those who had individual agreements were being asked for steep increases. One lotto receiver in Mosta had a €10,000 bank guarantee that was being upped to €24,000.

Mr Attard said Maltco gave the receiver a week to pay up but he could not afford it so Maltco suspended his services.

Another receiver in Qormi, he said, will probably suffer the same fate as her guarantee has been doubled to €10,000. The receiver was given until midday today to pay the difference.

“I requested a meeting before today at midday because we do not want another receiver to be stripped off his livelihood in this manner.

“This receiver has been unable to operate for 15 days, which is unacceptable.

“I asked Maltco for a meeting and for this receiver to be reconnected. If a second receiver is disconnected, then that’s going to be a different story,” he said.

Mr Attard said the chamber also wanted to discuss the increase Maltco was demanding for the collective guarantee, from €35,000 to €120,000.

A spokesman for Maltco could not be reached for comment yesterday.