Letters: 6 March 2016

De La Rue will retain at least 250 employees in Malta

As announced in December, UK-based De La Rue is investing around €21 million to further enhance its capability in its Malta factory (Workers claim De La Rue to dismiss 430 people, MaltaToday, 28 February 2016).

De La Rue, the largest commercial supplier of passports in the world, is relocating its current security products capability from Gateshead in the UK to Malta and create a Centre of Excellence for Identity and Security Products. The Centre forms part of De La Rue’s review to optimise its global manufacturing footprint and this sum represents around half of the total investment being made by De La Rue globally. 

This investment in equipment and skills to create the centre of excellence will further enhance the group’s identity and security products capability, giving the group a competitive edge to capture the high growth opportunities in these markets globally. 

As a result of the creation of the centre of excellence, which has been subject to full employee and Union consultation, the current banknote printing in Malta will be phased out by 2018. Most regrettably this will result in around 300 redundancies phased over three years and a formal consultation with the affected employees has now been concluded. As a result of the creation of the centre of excellence, De La Rue will retain at least 250 employees in Malta. 

Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer of De La Rue, said: “Our plant in Malta has demonstrated its capabilities in identity authentication which is why we have selected it as a Centre of Excellence. We are working closely with the team in Malta to grow the business in an increasingly important market. Since making our announcement in December, we have welcomed a number of VIP customers to Malta who are excited to be associated with the high levels of skill and expertise demonstrated at the site.”

Robin Mackenzie

Marketing Director, De La Rue plc 

Right of reply: Paceville incident

Our client Gabriel Busuttil, hereby declares with reference to the article by Tim Diacono (26 February, 2016), that he is categorically denying the facts as outlined by Kevin Prine Argelier and as reported by your good selves, which do not in any way conform to the truth as to what actually occurred.

Our client refutes the allegation that he punched anyone, let alone the so-called ‘Maltese girlfriend’ of the 21-year-old foreigner; and the baseless allegations he is making throw a negative light on the honour and repute of our client, who is a committed multicultural idealist, apart from being in the final stages of him becoming a captain in the aviation industry, in accordance with international regulations and Maltese laws and rules regulating the aviation industry.

Our client insists he never addressed this foreigner’s so called ‘Maltese girlfriend’ (whose name has conveniently not been published) with the phrase: “what on earth is she doing with a black nigger?”

He denies having passed any racist comment. Equally it is not true that this ‘Maltese girlfriend’ ever asked Mr Busuttil for an apology because there was no reason for any apology to be given; for the same reason there was no punching in the face of this ‘Maltese girlfriend’ whose name you are cordially being requested to publish, as you did in the case of our client. 

Your erroneous facts are built on the anonymity of this ‘Maltese girlfriend’ and Mr Busuttil is not interested as to why this Argelier is in our country or not, as everyone is welcome in our country as long as they abide with Maltese law and EU legislation.  

He is reserving all rights in accordance with the law. 

Dr Emmy D. Bezzina, Valletta