Update 3 | PL slams 'hypocritical' PN for its reaction to Arriva's departure

Additional reporting by Daniel Mizzi

The Labour Party has condemned the PN for being 'hypocritical' following the reaction by the Opposition party on the departure of Arriva from Malta.

Yesterday, it was revealed that as from the beginning of next year - in less than two weeks - Transport Malta be officially taking over the public transport service from British operator Arriva.

MaltaToday was informed that the takeover will take place between New Year's Day and 2 January, slowly bringing to an end Arriva's disastrous experience in Malta.

Arriva management will remain in Malta for a few months to assist Transport Malta with the transition. Sources said that management from TM taking part in the transition would act independently of the transport authority.

Following the transition, Transport Malta will then issue a call for expression of interest to find a new operator.

But in a statement issued by the PN yesterday, the party slammed the government for leaving the jobs of many Arriva employees in a 'precarious and uncertain' position only a few days before Christmas.

"The government's Christmas present to 1,200 Arriva workers is leaving their future hanging in the balance," Bezzina argued.

"Workers will now find themselves in a precarious situation not knowing what will happen to their job," he said while bemoaning Mizzi's decision.

Speaking to PN's media organ MaltaRightNow, Bezzina had also criticised his counterpart for not announcing Arriva's departure during parliament.

"During last Wednesday's parliamentary sitting, Joe Mizzi did not mention anything about this, but apparently he prefers using a studio or a newspaper as his ideal platform to announce such a news."

The Opposition's spokesperson also urged the government to ensure that the next operator will retain the workers. 

"Just as the PN safeguarded the worker's employment, the government must ensure that the operator of the country's public transport retains the workers."

This morning, however, the Labour Party reacted to the PN's statement by reminding them that it was the Nationalist government which had created this problem and made Malta a laughing stock.

The PL said that even though the PN government of the time had said that time of clowning about had ended, it was clearly apparent that with the arrival of Arriva, it was only just beginning.

"This government is working to restore public transport in a way which would give efficiency to the people while protecting all its workers," the PL statement said.

Commenting on Twitter yesterday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the "public transport disaster, from bad route planning to EU ticket pricing probe, is a clear example of legacy this government inherited".

Sources close to the authority insisted that their takeover was the best option. Failure to find an agreement, Arriva would have filed for liquidation leading to "an operational catastrophe". Liquidation would have meant that, until all company's assets were sold, none of the buses could have been used to service the routes.

Asked whether Arriva workers could face lay-offs, the source said that both the Transport Minister and the Transport Authority wanted to the service to improve and expand.

"By implication, this means that no workers will be fired," the source said.

In his tweet, Joseph Muscat said that "with a new service, we will work hard on difficult but necessary task to raise standards and give Malta the public transport it deserves".

With a new service,we will work hard on difficult but necessary task to raise standards and give #Malta the public #transport it deserves-JM

Meanwhile, the General Workers' Union (GWU) has said that in the wake of Arriva announcing its departure from the country's public transport system, it would seek to address the workers' future during a meeting tomorrow with Transport Minister Joe Mizzi.

"The workers' future will be the main topic during a meeting between the GWU and concerned minister tomorrow," it said, "the worker's future and wellbeing are of foremost importance," the Union stressed.

The Union said that it would insist that the future operator who takes over the public transport system retains Arriva's employees.

"Irrespective of who will be the future operator, the GWU will insist that all workers are retained," it argued.

Meanwhile, the Union also paid tribute to the Arriva workers for their synergy and hard work and urged them to remain united.