10 years ago - The Times
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Shop owners expect tough Christmas
Sixty-four per cent of retailers believe business prospects for the Christmas season will be either bad or very bad, according to a survey carried out by the Chamber for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises – GRTU.
With barely a month left for Christmas Day, just 25 per cent were optimistic that their prospects would be good and eight per cent said they were uncertain, according to the survey findings seen by The Times.
Among the main reasons given were a lack of client confidence, a drop in purchasing power and the revised utility tariffs. Asked about the state of their business today, 57 per cent said it was bad or very bad, 35 per cent reported it as being good and eight per cent said it was average.
Furthermore, 36 per cent of respondents said they were considering laying off employees, 12 per cent said they would close some of their shops or part of their shop and 11 per cent that they would close down.
Asked about prospects for the next six months, 49 per cent of respondents said they were negative and 35 per cent spoke of uncertainty. Just eight per cent said prospects were positive and another eight per cent said they were stable.
25 years ago - The Times
Saturday, November 20, 1993
3,600 workers to get substantial salary increase
Another step forward in the long and difficult process of reforming the civil service was made yesterday when the government and unions signed an agreement for the general service grades.
The agreement covers some 3,600 civil servants in the clerical, executive and administrative grades and was signed by Mr Joe Curmi, director general at the Management Personnel Office at the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mario Cutajar, secretary of the Public Service Employees’ Section of the General Workers’ Union and Gaetano Tanti, secretary of the General Services’ Section of the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin.
Basically the agreement provides for a new grade structure and improved salaries.
Elections for 11 local councils today
Men and women who have selflessly put the interests of their community above their own will be voted for today in Malta’s first ever local elections.
Theirs will be an unpaid job, though the task for them will be onerous.
Half a century ago - Times of Malta
Wednesday, November 20, 1968
Pipe factory reopens
The factory of the Malta Pipeworks Ltd at Marsa reopens today after agreement meeting between the company section of the General Workers’ Union.
The company stopped the production of pipes for five years after the union had banned a shipment of pipes to the United Kingdom. The section imposed the ban when the management discharged two employees. The dispute was over the employees’ claim that they had been victimised.
The agreement was reached after one of the employees gave notice. Subsequently, the company found itself in a position to re-employ the two discharged employees at the workshop on a shorter working week – four-and-a-half days instead of five-and-a-half.
The shorter week has been found necessary because of production difficulties.
RAF personnel injured in Gozo
Louis Agius, 24, of Cospicua, and Alfred Cardona, 18, of Paola, were injured in a collision in Gozo yesterday.
The two men were members of an RAF group camping at Xlendi.