Workers claim De La Rue to dismiss 430 people

Although last year De La Rue announced that it would be shedding 300 jobs from its Malta plant, workers who spoke to MaltaToday said they have been informed that 430 people will lose their job. 

In comments to MaltaToday, a company spokesperson reiterated: “The restructuring will impact around 400 jobs, with approximately 300 being at risk of redundancy, mainly in Malta. A formal consultation with the affected employees is now underway.” The restructuring plan will be completed by 2018/19. 

The workers who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of anonymity said that they were only given six days to apply for the new vacancies offered by the company. 

In total, the company will retain 120 workers from the current 550 in Malta as the security printer plans to reduce production to cope with intense competition and shrinking demand. 

The move further angered the workers, who are still fuming at the way the company and the General Workers’ Union secretly removed nine clauses from the collective agreement signed in November 2013. 

“Not only were we tricked by the union into signing the agreement but we have now been given six days to apply for vacancies, many of which will add to our present responsibilities without increasing our wages.”

The workers were informed of this on 10 February, giving them six days to evaluate their options and apply for the new vacancies. 

This was made possible by the inclusion of a new clause in the agreement brokered by the GWU, which gave the company the right to add new job titles without consulting the union, paving the way for the absorption of further duties without compensation. 

“When we were convened by the GWU we were given a paper listing seven changes to the agreement. We agreed with the changes and voted in favour, but little did we know that there were another nine changes which the union hid from us,” the workers said, adding that they only learnt about the changes when they were given a copy of the agreement. 

Asked to comment on these claims, the company limited itself to a fleeting reply in which it said that it was “complying and abiding fully” to the agreement it reached with the GWU.

The workers who feel cheated by both the union and the company were also promised a ‘last in first out’ system in the restructuring process, however the new vacancies merge diverse job descriptions, excluding workers from applying despite having served the company for decades. 

“Some of us have loyally served the company for 20, 30 years or more and we have always shown a willingness to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities.”

However, the new vacancies exclude most of the old timers because they merge two separate jobs. One such example shown to this newspaper, is the vacancy for Electro Mechanical Line Technicians, which merges the jobs being carried out separately by fitters and electricians. 

Following the signing of the agreement, some of the workers joined another union, the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, who confirmed that nine clauses were changed without the workers’ consent.

These include the removal of four-weeks’ pay for workers during temporary suspension of work, the reduction of sick leave from 30 full days on half pay to 12 days on full pay and the removal of the company’s obligation to give workers 24 hours’ notice of the need for overtime. 

Moreover, workers told MaltaToday that the company is cutting costs by farming out services, including security and surveillance, to the private sector. This allows the company to engage workers on lower wages and reduced conditions, the workers said. 

These sentiments were echoed by opposition MP Carm Mifsud Bonnici who in Parliament last week lashed out at the government for failing to safeguard the rights of the De La Rue employees.

“I suspect, and I hope that I’m wrong, that De La Rue has come to an agreement with the government for it to turn a blind eye on its intention to fire Maltese employees and replace them with foreigners who are willing to work on lower wages and in worse conditions,” Mifsud Bonnici said. 

In December 2015, the British company said it would close its note-printing operation in Malta and shut two production lines to save more than €16.5 million a year. 

De La Rue, the world’s biggest commercial passport maker, plans to expand its identity and security products business, which produces digital passports, driving licences and other identity documents. 

The company announced that it will relocate its current security products capability from Gateshead in the UK to Malta, pledging to invest around €21 million in equipment and skills to create a centre of excellence at the De La Rue plant in Malta.