The Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU yesterday lifted the lotto receivers’ strike but warned of more widespread action if the stalemate with the lotteries’ operator remained unresolved.

The majority of the 210 lotto receivers kept their doors closed to business yesterday while others who opened sold just Scratchers and mobile top-up cards.

Lotteries operator Maltco said that about 50 lotto receivers had not followed the directive and opened for business as usual.

GRTU official Joe Attard said that the absolute majority of its members had obeyed the directive, adding that the action was taken because “a foreigner” was behaving in a way that was negatively affecting Maltese operators.

The lotto receivers took action in solidarity with Paul Mamo, who runs a lotto office in Mosta and who had his terminal disconnected on August 16 because he could not afford to increase his monetary guarantee to €24,000 from €10,000.

Mr Mamo took the matter to court complaining that the amounts he owed Maltco never exceeded €10,000 and were always covered by the previous guarantee.

According to the GRTU, the receiver’s maximum exposure was about €6,000, well within the guarantee. The main bone of contention between the parties is the monetary guarantee that receivers give the company as an “assurance” for the money they owe.

Some 180 receivers are covered by a collective guarantee and the rest, about 31, have guarantees discussed individually with Maltco.

The receivers all wanted to join the collective guarantee but Maltco was objecting. Yesterday, Maltco acknowledged that lotto receivers had the right to strike but the company was acting according to the agency agreement signed between Maltco and each agent.

“Agents are Maltco Lotteries’ only sales agents and, like every other business, it is the company’s responsibility to ensure that reasonable sales targets are met and that its interests are safeguarded for the benefit of all stakeholders,” a company spokesperson said, adding: “A substantial number of lotto receivers who invested and took their business seriously praised Maltco’s professionalism and support and confirmed that their earnings grew substantially and, in some cases, even doubled.”

The spokesperson denied reports that Maltco employees had threatened lotto receivers with legal action if they followed the GRTU’s directive. Mr Attard retorted he had the names of employees who were intimidating lotto receivers.