10 years ago - The Times
Friday, November 21, 2008
Nurses suspend actions
The harsh industrial actions that nurses and midwives were due to take on Monday were suspended following a meeting with the government yesterday morning.
More talks between the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses and Social Policy Minister John Dalli are expected to be held early next week, union president Paul Pace said.
“We need to establish a time-table of talks geared toward resolving the pending issues,”Mr Pace said.
The union and the Social Policy Ministry yesterday issued a joint statement saying they were both interested in improving the health service and had decided to set up a committee chaired by Mr Dalli to deal with the issues raised by the MUMN and find solutions.
The strike directives, including some that have been in force since the end of last month, were lifted just before yesterday’s meeting after Mr Dalli made it clear he would not meet the union unless it called off the actions.
“I will not meet with anyone who is holding a revolver pointed at my head,” he told the media about two hours before the meeting, adding that he could not understand the “cowboy tactics” being employed by the union.
25 years ago - The Times
Sunday, November 21, 1993
62.6 per cent vote in first local elections
Malta’s first local council elections got under way yesterday with a healthy overall turnout of 62.6 per cent of the electorate in eight localities in Malta and three in Gozo.
The three Gozo localities – Nadur, Fontana and Għasri – averaged a slightly higher turnout, 65.1 per cent.
The highest turnout in fact was at Għasri, where 267 voters, or 86.9 per cent of the eligible voters, cast their vote.
Fontana, also in Gozo, registered the second highest turnout – 80.7 per cent, or 551 voters.
In Malta the highest turnout was registered at Balzan, where 67.5 per cent cast their votes. Figures for the other localities by the time polling stations closed at 7pm yesterday were:
Valletta, 60.8 per cent; Żebbuġ, 61.6 per cent; Mellieħa, 66.9 per cent; Nadur, 58.8 per cent; Qrendi, 61.5 per cent; St Paul’s Bay, 62.9 per cent; Ta’ Xbiex, 57.3 per cent and Żurrieq, 60.9 per cent.
In all, 23,563 voted out of the total of 37,694 eligible voters, including 732 foreigners.
Nationalist Party General Secretary Austin Gatt described the turnout as quite good. The world over, he said, the turnout was always lower than in national elections.
Half a century ago - Times of Malta
Thursday, November 21, 1968
PM’s tour: Indian jurist invited to advise on maritime law
Malta’s Prime Minister, Dr Borg Olivier, and his delegation have invited an Indian maritime law expert to advise Malta on the drafting of its maritime law.
The expert is Dr Nagendra Singh, Secretary to Indian President Zakir Husain and an eminent jurist. A spokesman for the Maltese party said they hoped he would accept.
Prime Minister Dr Borg Olivier was given a dinner in his honour by Indian President Zakir Husain on Tuesday night.
Customs comptroller sued
Mr Justice VR Sammut, sitting in HM Civil Court First Hall, yesterday commenced the hearing of a case instituted by Mr Francis Mallia against Mr Agostino Laurenti, as Comptroller of Customs.
Mr Mallia was alleging that the Customs Comptroller released to a certain Emmanuel Pace, a watch agent, several watches by mean of various Malta Customs Entry invoices.
He contended that the duty paid on these articles was not the amount which should have been paid according to the law in force and that, because of this, he was suffering damage in the running of his business.