Most Nationalist Party employees have still not received their salaries for June, July and August after turning down a management proposal to postpone receipt of their outstanding wages to ease the party’s cash-flow problems, sources said.

Sources close to the PN headquarters said Media.Link Communications employees, including those who left the company, had not yet been given what they were owed.

The party has seen a “mass exodus” of employees, especially those with families.

Sources said almost all the party’s journalists had applied for a single post at the national television station, PBS, while others were seeking jobs abroad, including with EU institutions.

When contacted, party general secretary Chris Said would only say the PN was “taking measures to conclude the payment of pending salaries”.

But this came with a proviso: “Though this process is largely dependent on the preliminary events undertaken by the fundraising unit, the party is determined to conclude this process as quickly as possible.”

Other employees, including Dr Said himself and other members of the party administration, were already forgoing their salaries.

The general secretary explained that several decisions were being taken to safeguard the future of Media.Link. However, he refused to comment on details, citing commercial sensitivity.

“During the summer months, the PN undertook a very extensive restructuring exercise aimed at putting its commercial and political operations on a sound and sustainable footing.

“The restructuring exercise was rigorously implemented and, as a result, the party registered its first financially sustainable month in September.

“All party employees were paid in full and on time. The party is confident that wages will also be paid on time at the end of October and in the coming months,” he said.

The party is confident that wages will be paid on time at the end of October

Dr Said said the restructuring would ensure that the party’s operations remained sustainable “month on month”.

“The party is currently finalising a medium to long-term plan to address the refinancing of accumulated debts,” he said.

“The plan will incorporate several new initiatives, including the development of a fundraising unit, which has already been established, and a strategy for making fuller use of the party’s myriad properties, which are a strong asset base in their own right.”

The party has around 70 clubs across the island, especially in village cores, of which it owns 60.

Three clubs are leased and one of them – one of the two PN clubs in Ħamrun – was given up. Another three were government properties that were being rented.

“Selling is a very last resort,” Dr Said said when asked whether the party was considering selling any of its properties to pay off some of its accumulated debts.

“We are seeing how our properties can be used better. They are in strategic locations so they have great commercial value.

“We are considering agreements to lease out sections of these properties for commercial purposes such as shops, business offices and travel agencies,” he said.

News about the party’s financial woes emerged in April when this newspaper revealed some 150 employees were informed by the management they would not receive their wages on time.

They started to receive some of their pay in arrears and the situation persisted in the following months, with the “most urgent” cases being given priority by the management, especially workers who had loans and other bank commitments.

Since Dr Said took over as general secretary, the number of full- and part-time employees dropped considerably from the original 290, sources said.

According to the report on the financial situation, compiled by the party’s new leadership, the two main reasons for the party’s financial situation were the debts on its new headquarters and the losses incurred by the party’s television station, Net TV.