MUBE suspends strike action at HSBC

The Malta Union of Banking Employees has suspended its full-blown strike at HSBC after the Office of the Prime Minister, through its principal permanent secretary Mario Cutajar, intervened to try and solve the current impasse between the MUBE and the HSBC.

Through the OPM’s mediation, with effect from midnight, the following agreement has just been reached on the following conditions:

• All parties accept to suspend their respective directives
• Immediately continue negotiations as from tomorrow early morning
• HSBC to present concrete proposals
• CEO to attend meeting

“Whilst MUBE thanks Mr. Mario Cutajar on behalf of the OPM for his intervention, the Union will make all the effort to keep you updated with developments. MUBE will immediately advise members of the outcome and does not exclude any further action if Bank fails to provide concrete proposals,” the MUBE said.

“We thank all members and non-members together with the GWU for their full support and solidarity shown throughout these difficult times.”

The Malta Union of Banking Employees launched a full-blown strike on Tuesday, after HSBC Malta threatened a lock-out against employees obeying directives for a communications ban and sit-in earlier last week.

MUBE and the bank have been on the warpath ever since HSBC reneged on a collective agreement forged back in August 2014.

“Apart from not taking the local workforce and collective bargaining seriously, HSBC’s decision to threaten lock-out against those employees obeying the directive is also an insult to customers. This has left MUBE no other option but to issue a full-blown strike, completely removing the possibility of any other directives milder in nature,” MUBE president William Portelli has said.

The union said that HSBC had not found grounds to agree on an increase in the minima of the salary ranges; unilaterally awarded only a minimal increase in salary; withdrew the financial packaged from what was ‘practically an agreed deal’; and complained of “frenetic bank practices and work overload”.