Gozo Channel made a profit of nearly a quarter of a million euros last August, continuing a positive trend started in May, thus reversing a series of month-on-month losses during 2012.

Gozo Minister Anton Refalo told Parliament that the company registered profits of €75,000, €100,000 and €200,000 in May, June and July.

The minister said the company was in dire straits because of the public service obligation the previous government had burdened it with. It had massive debts and solvency problems.

The fuel bill alone was €1 million a year.

The present government was trying to instil a sense of accountability and urged the workers to cooperate with the management to reduce costs, mainly overtime of workers in the higher echelons of the enterprise who, he said, had created for themselves “states within a state”.