HSBC workers will report back for work today after eight days of industrial action that had left the bank’s clients fuming.

The development follows late-night talks held between management and union representatives at the Office of the Prime Minister.

The bank, the Malta Union of Bank Employees and the General Workers’ Union withdrew their respective directives and agreed to return to the negotiating table early this morning.

In a statement last night, the MUBE said one of the conditions was that HSBC would present “concrete proposals” and its CEO would attend the meeting.

The union also thanked Mario Cutajar, the head of the civil service, for his intervention but said it did not exclude further action if the bank failed to come to the meeting with concrete proposals.

Last night’s breakthrough came after a day in which the parties had been hardening their stances in the dispute.

Speaking at a press conference, Malta Union of Bank Employees president William Portelli had said strike action would only be lifted if the bank presented those concrete proposals.

And in a circular to employees in the morning, HSBC CEO Mark Watkinson had warned that staff on strike would not be paid.

‘Don’t blame us’ – MUBE

In the circular, seen by Times of Malta, Mr Watkinson said the bank had advised the MUBE and the GWU that it had registered a trade dispute to safeguard its “rightful interests”.

Industrial action has been having a negative impact on the bank’s clients, especially businesses and pensioners.

The difficulties were acknowledged by Mr Portelli, who urged people not to blame bank workers, saying the actions were not the result of spurious decisions.

The GWU has been supporting the MUBE action at HSBC after talks on a collective agreement fell through last August.

In a statement yesterday, the Medical Association of Malta also lent its support to bank workers in their dispute “to achieve their legitimate aspirations”.

Ordering directives for industrial action has detrimental effects on customer confidence and affects our long-term business in Malta

Mr Portelli said the bank’s “unilateral” decision to withdraw from talks on the collective agreement in August, when both sides were close to a deal, was an attempt to undermine collective bargaining.

On Tuesday evening, bank employees had given their union a mandate to order strike action on a day-by-day basis until the end of the week.

Employees did not report for work on Saturday and Tuesday – Monday was a bank holiday – after the bank threatened to lock them out if they obeyed union directives over a sit-in strike.

Mediation was being conducted by Joe Farrugia, director general of the Malta Employers’ Association, with the OPM also offering to act as a go-between.

In his circular to bank staff, Mr Watkinson said these were “very challenging times” for everyone.

“However, we have a duty of care towards our customers who provide us with our living. Ordering directives for industrial action has detrimental effects on customer confidence and affects our long-term business in Malta.”

Mr Watkinson said the bank had received the MUBE’s counter-proposals on March 30 and responded to them on the same day. The union’s proposals were the first since last October, he added.

He said the bank had offered to meet the union on April 8, after Holy Week, but no response to the offere was received.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com