No reply from PN leader on social security payments

Questions put to Simon Busuttil on Saturday on whether the PN had paid National Insurance contributions have remained unanswered.

Contacted on Saturday morning, the PN leader said he would reply later in the evening because he did not have access to email. But no reply has been forthcoming.

Meanwhile, PN employees who decided finally to talk to MaltaToday recounted their horror at having to live with no pay for over two-and-a-half months and having no contact whatsoever with PN leader Simon Busuttil.

Moreover, according to Sunday newspaper Illum, a number of workers have not received their pay for four months while part-time workers were last paid in February. The newspaper reported that half of the workers may be laid off.

The loyal employees were very hurt by the way all the top officials have landed the party and its commercial arms in a debt crisis. It runs, allegedly, into the millions - not €8 million but over €13 million. Paul Borg Olivier's posts on Facebook this week, including pictures of views from the Alps, incensed the employees.

"We have workers who have been here for over 40 years, and Simon Busuttil does not even have the respect to face them and understand their situation. Paul Borg Olivier, who was a horrible secretary-general, was running around with a leased car until the last day of his job. He would always insist that the car was full of fuel. Some of us are three months in arrears on our salaries, and now he posts these pictures of his holiday in the Alps."

A number of employees also described how The Times and The Independent have failed to continue reporting on their plight.

"It is very simple: the present negotiations to either print In-Nazzjon and il-Mument at The Times or Miller (a major shareholder of The Independent) has left us without a voice, since they are reluctant to scuttle the negotiations. So you [MaltaToday] are the only ones who can voice our concerns."

The employees spoke of considerable hardships, with many unable to pay their mortgages because of delays in receiving their salaries.

"It is very disheartening to hear that some employees have been given cash payments by the party but told not to tell others because there are no funds. It is also unacceptable that the finer details of our 'redundancies' are being communicated by the head of human resources and not Chris Said."

Many of the employees questioned Simon Busuttil's aloofness on the whole matter.

"If he thinks that this will go away, he is very mistaken. Gonzi ignored the whole situation, and now this one is leaving it to Chris Said, who is an utter disaster."

MaltaToday has learned that some employees in the printing division have requested that they be informed of their redundancy in writing.

"They informed us by word of mouth, but they have to do this in writing; they do not want to do this because they will have to pay terminal benefits. It is shocking that we have come to this."

Another employee, a party official, told MaltaToday, "The decisions are being taken by a small group. The MPs cannot argue they do not know what is happening."

A journalist who also spoke to MaltaToday said, "They allowed the media to run aground; In-Nazzjon is only selling 1,800 copies and has no adverts. We cannot even pay a newscaster for NET News."

He also complained that the commission which drew up the report was detached from the party and unaware of how the party leadership had mismanaged the party's finances.

"They cannot simply suggest that everything is subcontracted because it was badly managed. They should have been very clear and blamed the man who ultimately called the shots, and his name was Lawrence Gonzi."