The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin yesterday applied for an injunction in an attempt to stop its rival General Workers’ Union from concluding a collective agreement with the bus operator in view of a pending request for official recognition.

The union also filed a judicial protest against the GWU and Malta Public Transport Services Limited holding them responsible if they continued to negotiate the new collective agreement despite the GWU not enjoying representation of the majority of workers. UĦM general secretary Josef Vella said that the union’s legal action was aimed to safeguard workers’ right to join the union of their choice.

This was also an attempt to force an independent verification exercise to determine which trade union enjoyed enough workers’ support to merit recognition.

Mr Vella said that, according to the union’s records, more than 760 of the company’s 1,100 workers had joined the UĦM after many of them had left the GWU.

This, he added, amounted to more than 70 per cent of the total number of employees.

In its judicial protest, filed by lawyer Ian Spiteri Bailey, the UĦM accused the GWU and the company of acting in bad faith when negotiations continued despite lack of official recognition.

The UĦM warned it would revoke any signed agreement if it were granted sole recognition.