The GWU said this afternoon that it has registered a dispute with Arriva Malta over its winter schedule.

The union said the bus company wanted to impose a schedule which would cause inconvenience to the drivers.

The drivers, it said, would be required to be at their place of work for several hours during which they would not be paid. These hours were being considered as a break which could be divided into several periods.

The union said the director of Industrial Relations, Noel Vella, is to have a meeting with the company.

Arriva made no mention of the dispute in a statement in the morning when it said that it would switch to its winter timetables on Sunday.  It said this change was aimed at matching the services provided to the different needs and demands in passenger transport during the winter months.

With the change to winter timetables, some summer bus services (like the bus services to beaches) will be stopped, and frequencies on some routes will change reflecting the variances in passenger demands (eg: higher frequencies during the morning hours and lower frequencies on Sundays).

New timetable leaflets will also be available from Arriva ticket booths from Sunday, and through the Arriva website www.arriva.com.mt/wintertime over the coming days.

Information on the winter timetables can also be obtained through Arriva’s customer care centre on 2122-2000 or by sending an email to enquiries@arriva.com.mt.