Mediation efforts at HSBC Bank have so far produced no results as workers yesterday voted to continue striking.
Bank branches will remain closed today for the second day running after workers gave their union a clear mandate to persist with industrial action at a meeting in the evening.
William Portelli, Malta Union of Bank Employees president, told Times of Malta that employees felt let down by the bank’s attitude.
“Workers will not report for work today and the union has been given a mandate to persist with action on a day-by-day basis in the absence of concrete proposals from management,” Mr Portelli said.
The union will not exclude public manifestations, he added.
No meetings were held between MUBE and HSBC management yesterday, according to Joe Farrugia, director general of the Malta Employers’ Association.
Mr Farrugia, who is acting as mediator, told Times of Malta there were no developments.
There are ongoing contacts between the two parties but no meetings were held
“There are ongoing contacts between the two parties but no meetings were held and the situation remains unchanged,” he said.
Bank employees were ordered by their union not to report for work on Saturday and yesterday after management had threatened to lock out workers who obeyed union directives for industrial action.
MUBE resorted to industrial action last week after the management failed to come back with proposals for a new collective agreement after months of waiting. Discussions on the collective agreement have been going on since October 2013.
The industrial action has hit bank customers badly as businesses and pensioners find it difficult to cash their cheques.
A spokesman for HSBC yesterday told this newspaper the bank regretted the impact the continued industrial action was having on customers.
Contingency arrangements have been put in place to limit customer impact, the spokesman said.
The bank said its ATM service remained available in all branches and offsite locations. “Loans, pensioners’ cheques and emergency cash withdrawals via tellers within branches are available in our Paola, Valletta and Sliema branches during branch opening hours and other branches that the bank has opened during the action.”
HSBC said it would update the public on ongoing developments through the main page of its website.
Asked why the bank had refused to meet the union, the spokesman insisted HSBC “remained open” to a negotiated solution.
“The solution has to be balanced and reasonable and in the best interest of our customers, employees and shareholders. HSBC Malta is willing to continue engaging directly with both unions and remains in regular contact with the Malta Employers’ Association.”
Mr Portelli said workers were also concerned about the impact their actions were having on customers. “Our members expressed regret that the bank was more interested in picking a fight with the union rather than coming up with solutions that could unblock the impasse.”
The General Workers’ Union, which is not the majority union at the bank, is supporting MUBE’s actions and has directed its members to obey all directives.