Two-day ultimatum for bus company to meet union’s demands

The General Workers’ Union has given Malta Public Transport a 48-hour ultimatum to meet its demands over new work hours for bus drivers.

If it fails to do so, the GWU warned that it is ready to order the “necessary directives in its members’ interests”.

The union’s demands include a salary increase for all MPT employees, a guaranteed 30-minute break for every six hours of work, and a fixed day of leave every week. They also insist that bus drivers should be granted alternating weekly morning and evening shifts, and that all drivers must be allowed the weekend off at least once every seven weeks.

“After weeks of discussion, we were expecting the company to accept our requests that are ultimately in favour of its own drivers’ standard of living,” the GWU said. “If they don’t accept these requests within the next 48 hours, we will order any directives that we feel necessary to defend the MPT’s workers’ rights.”