News • 23 February 2003

Country could grind to a halt

There was no breakthrough in the dispute between the General Workers Union and Enemalta Corporation yesterday and petrol stations all over the country are now out of fuel.

Economic Services Minister Josef Bonnici said the wage increases being demanded are higher than what was offered to the Civil Service while the union is claiming Government’s offer is unacceptable.

The Union Haddiema Maltin, which initially backed the directives, yesterday withdrew its support, claiming the GWU did not keep it informed.

The GWU has stepped up its pressure issuing new directives on overtime and a ‘go slow.’

The government side is claiming the union’s demands are unsutainable for Enemalta.

The country will be hoping for a quick resolution to the dispute, otherwise, it is feared, we could be immobilised.

Many people must have stocked up on fuel over the past two days, but supplies will not last long unless more deliveries are made to the petrol stations.

GWU Secretary General Tony Zarb told MaltaToday "the industrial action might be escalated further, but this would depend on the outcome of discussions."

He said: "the increases the Union is demanding are certainly not as high is being suggested by the Prime Minister and others."

"The secretary of the union's chemical workers' section, Gejtu Mercieca, has been trying to arrange a meeting to discuss pay increases for five and a half weeks and the Collective Agreement was up for renewal one year and two months ago."

Public Transport Authority Chairman, Charles Demicoli, told MaltaToday he is keeping an eye on the situation and will act according to any instructions the government might issue.

He said that, for now, the buses have enough fuel and hopes a continued and regular service will be offered.

Should the dispute continue taxi services will soon be affected and Wembley Car Hire told MaltaToday it will start feeling the pinch as early as tomorrow.

Windsor Garage in St Julians said "we have to store extra fuel, which is dangerous. Then we have to examine all our schedules and consider which are important and which are less so.

"Some clients, tourists, are complaining that they are wasting a lot of time in queues and there is a lot of time being wasted by our drivers in the traffic. As things stand we have enough fuel to last another day and a half."

Demicoli Garage of Dingli, told MaltaToday "we had to take cans down to a Qormi station to be filled with diesel. But we cannot store much diesel as that would be dangerous. As things stand we only have fuel for another two days."

The ambulance section at St. Luke’s hospital, on the other hand, has fuel and was assured that it will continue to receive a regular supply in order to be able to continue to provide its services.

Petrol stations were fast running out of fuel yesterday, and must have run out by the end of the day. Several stations displayed ‘empty’ signs.

Deliveries to petrol stations were not made as is usual before the weekend, but some petrol stations told MaltaToday that so many people took petrol on Friday and Saturday that those petrol stations still with fuel faced smaller queues.

Distributors of diesel were also affected.

One customer turned up at a Zurrieq petrol station with eight jerry cans and wanted them all filled.

Related articles:

Editorial