A new three-year collective agreement has been signed between HSBC Bank Malta plc and the Malta Union of Bank Employees (MUBE), representing managerial and clerical employees.

HSBC’s Chief Executive Alan Richards said the new agreement takes into account the interest of all parties including customers, shareholders and employees.

"We are committed to making HSBC in Malta the Best Place to Work, and this new agreement is an important milestone in making this a reality.”

William Portelli, President of the MUBE commented: “MUBE has continued to confirm that focusing on long-term strategies will ensure that the union would always be in a position to be steadfast in defending and upholding its members’ rights and interests. Taking an even more avant-garde approach to negotiations, keeping flexibility in mind, and focusing on securing employment rather than specific job security issues meant that the work required more detail and assertiveness in application to negotiations.

“While negotiations were conducted once again in a business-like manner, MUBE also focused on the possibility of renewing opportunity taking into context multi-skilling, performance and work- life balance.

HSBC also signed an agreement with the GWU for non-clerical staff represented by the union.