The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin is demanding sole recognition of bus drivers formerly employed by Arriva.
In a letter to Malta Public Transport Services Ltd, a subsidiary of Transport Malta, the UĦM said the absolute majority of the 637 drivers had become members.
Union section secretary Martin Caruana said the drivers had long been complaining of various shortcomings in their working conditions as a result of negotiations conducted on their behalf by another union. They therefore decided to switch unions, he added.
In its letter to Malta Public Transport Services CEO Konrad Pulè, apart from seeking recognition, the UĦM also requested that any negotiations or discussions with another union would stop pending a verification exercise.
A copy of the letter was also sent to the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations.
“We are very satisfied that these workers managed to resist all types of pressure they were under and switched unions because they know that it is only the UĦM that will really protect their interests,” Mr Caruana said. He said the union was not excluding asking for recognition also in other sections of the company.
But, in a counter statement, the General Workers’ Union said it still enjoyed the support of the majority of bus drivers at Malta Public Transport Services.
It said the UĦM had long been saying it would be seeking recognition but never proved it represented the majority. The GWU said it believed the rival union’s request was “part of a strategy to destabilise the sensitive negations under way to secure the drivers’ employment”.
Sources said the main complaints of bus drivers were related to their salary and the way the rosters were being drawn up, particularly the split shift and the two- to three-hour idle time between shifts.
Bus drivers receive €5.15 an hour, slightly more than the minimum wage.
UĦM general secretary Josef Vella said last month that some former Arriva workers, now employed with the new public transport company, were being given contracts renewable every month or every quarter.
Describing this as precarious employment, he said the situation was unacceptable.
“These working conditions are making their lives difficult, especially because of the uncertainty they give rise to. These are not acceptable in this day and age,” Mr Vella insisted.