GWU claims Arriva threatened bus drivers over industrial actions

Arriva Malta has announced it will not fire the striking employees who will tonight follow a GWU directive not to provide service between 8pm and 5am.

Arriva chief executive Keith Bastow said the company had identified key members of staff who will be expected to work tonight, each receiving a personal letter recommending them to take notice and abide by their legal requirements.

"The drivers were chosen on the basis of seniority... Arriva intends to operate 322 journeys. I wish to assure the public that we have done everything to meet our public obligation. Hopefully our staff undertake their obligations at law.

"However we cannot guarantee what the drivers choose to do, so the public is advised to choose alternative of transport after 8pm."

Bastow said that while Arriva was within its rights to fire striking workers, he said he would not fire drivers "who were doing a sterling job. It is not a issue with members of my staff but with the GWU."

Bastow said Arriva was extremely disappointed at the situation, after failed talks with GWU. "I wrote a letter to the GWU expressing our disappointment. I am not sure what the issues are about. Their actions are somewhat unbelievable."

The General Workers Union has ordered industrial action for Thursday at 8pm, covering the evening roster till the morning hours, over claims that Arriva Malta has not yet changed its 'long and inhumane' rosters for bus drivers since it first started operating four months ago.

Arriva said a roster proposed by GWU was never presented, and could not be tested by the company. "We were disappointed to learn from the media that the GWU had ordered the industrial action, given that we were fully compliant with the agreement last week. I was lost for words," Bastow said.

The GWU has condemned the "threats" by Arriva against the public transport employees who will be obeying industrial orders.

"We categorically deny rumours appearing in the media that Arriva was last Tuesday testing the roster proposed by the GWU. We were never informed of this by Arriva. The threats against workers are exaggerated... maybe Arriva is picking up on the way British prime minister Margaret Thatcher treated workers. The same tactics are being employed here," the GWU said in a statement.

The GWU said the Arriva roster was anti-social and had been protesting about this since July. "Up until today, Arriva is refusing to change the roster. We are ready to accept an invitation by the industrial relations director to convene a reconciliation meeting without taking industrial action. But Arriva did not answer to this invitation."

The transport ministry has appealed to the GWU and Arriva to come to a solution over the bus drivers' roster, but it reminded the union that public transport had been categorised as an essential service under industrial relations law and that Arriva was legally entitled to discpline employees who do not obey legitimate orders to provide the essential service, despite industrial action.

"The government's interest lies in seeing that citizens are still given a service during the industrial dispute, even if reduced, so as to satisfy the essential requirements of those relying on public transport," the ministry said.

The Transport Ministry said that it would not be involved in the private dispute between employee and employer but said it instructed Transport Malta not to 'tolerate' reductions of over 50% of the essential service rendered by Arriva Malta throughout the industrial action.