A lull fell over the streets of Valletta yesterday as the public transport strike dealt a blow to businesses, forcing several outlets to pull down the shutters after a slow morning.

The kiosks at City Gate, Valletta were very badly hit and the owners said that if the strike persisted it was not worth opening in the coming days.

Romina Gatt, who has a stall selling bread and pastries, said she barely had any custom all morning and it felt as if the whole nation was on strike.

Mario Carabott, who runs a kiosk at the bus terminus, said he had not even made 10 per cent of the normal daily business. Another kiosk next door was closing down for the day at 10.30 a.m.

Shops along Republic Street were not faring so well either and Amanda Micallef of Alfie's Jewellery said the atmosphere felt as if it was a Sunday, not one of the busiest days of the weeks.

Most of the shops in Zachary Street did not bother to open in the afternoon because they felt it was not worth keeping the air conditioners and electricity running when there were no customers.

The strike raised the ire of numerous organisations and spurred a reaction from two political parties. This is what they had to say.

Labour Party

The solution to this pressing issue could only be found if the two sides got together and accepted to hold a dialogue. Industrial action from the transport operators' side and the government's confrontational attitude was not the way forward.

Labour agreed with liberalisation and condemned anyone who took the law in their hands. It appealed to the Transport Federation to immediately lift its actions because the entire country was suffering the consequences.

Alternattiva Demokratika

The Green party said public transport should be strengthened in the interest of the whole community and private monopolies should be abolished.

AD chairman Arnold Cassola appealed to authorities to get all stakeholders around a table and discuss a plan to phase out monopolies in this sector.

In the meantime, those who had the huge advantage of operating in what amounted to a legally-sanctioned cartel should realise they could not expect the public to accept this state of affairs to continue.

Federation of Industry

The FOI disagreed with the position taken by the Transport Federation to call a strike and said there was absolutely no further room for monopolies.

It deplored the fact that certain roads were blocked, forcing many employees to report late for work and also delayed the transport of industrial materials, products and services. This was surely not conducive to the efficient operation of industry in Malta.

It urged the transport operators to reconsider their action for the benefit of all.

Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association

The MHRA strongly condemned the action taken by public transport service providers which, it said, tarnished Malta's image.

Throughout the day, MHRA and its members worked tirelessly to keep inconveniences to a minimum and ensured visitors arriving at Malta International Airport were able to get to their respective hotels without any issue.

The MHRA pointed out that taxis located outside key hotels amounted to over 10 per cent of the licensed taxis. It would not hesitate to issue directives to these hotels to terminate their agreement with these taxis if they persisted in not providing the necessary service to their guests.

MHRA said the government should hold firm on its resolution to liberalise the sector.

Malta Employers' Association

The association appealed for a return to reason and condemned the "thuggish" behaviour by some of the protestors outside Castille. In a civilised society, constructive discussion could only take place around a table and only once hostile action was withdrawn.

Halting the public transport caused hardships to many employees who arrived late for work and companies suffered losses through lost production.

Resorting to strong-arm tactics and threats was counterproductive to equitable solutions. It urged transport operators to move to the negotiating table in their own interest and that of society in general.

Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise

The chamber felt the strike was totally unnecessary and only served to damage the business community and the economy in general.

As a point of principle the chamber was against monopolies and operators who have been working in a protected environment for decades should realise times have changed and that the country could no longer afford to carry inefficiencies that were then paid for by the consumer and taxpayer.

The chamber appealed for level headedness and maturity to prevail.

Federation Association of Travel & Tourism Agents

Fatta criticised the timing of the strike and supported the government's decision to liberalise the sector, applauding its firm stand on the issue of monopolies and cartels.

It also praised the Labour leader's appeal to the Transport Federation to reconsider its actions and for common sense to prevail.

This action was damaging the tourism industry and highlighted the operators' contempt and lack of respect towards their customers, who were the very source of their livelihood.