The Confederation of Malta Trade Unions (CMTU) said this evening that it agreed with the figures and contents of a document on the utility tariffs presented to the trade unions on Monday by the Prime Minister.

However, a group of trade unions including the GWU, the MUMN and the MUT said they were seeking an urgent information meeting with the technical people who had prepared the government's workings on the utility tariffs before they could pronounce themselves on the government's latest offer.

UHM General Secretary Gejtu Vella yesterday welcomed the government's document and said the government had fallen back on the unions' original proposals.

In their statement today, the unions said that while they recognised that the new proposals reflected an easing of the burdens compared to what was proposed before the budget, they were very doubtful that 138,333 families would benefit from the eco-reductions, as the government had claimed.

Furthermore a section of the document which discussed the reduced income Enemalta would have next year was never discussed at their meetings with the Prime Minister and therefore needed to be clarified and discussed.

The statement was signed by the GWU, the MUMN, the Central Bank Workers' Union, the Union of Cabin Crew, the MEPA technical and clerical workers' union, the Union Profesjonisti Awtorita' ta' l-Ambjent u Pjannar, the Association of Airline Engineers, the University of Malta Academic Staff Association, the Airline Pilots' Association, the Malta Union of Teachers and the Union Periti u Inginiera Servizz Pubbliku.

The CMTU, however, in a separate statement said it was making it officially known that it was accepting the government proposal. It said that the social partners should continue to insist on working better with the aim of achieving good levels of social dialogue.