In a statement issued yesterday, the Gozo Channel explained that the UHM had ordered employees to not carry passengers’ suitcases between 12.30pm and 8.30pm. The union was asking the company to hire more people because these employees will have too much work to do in summer.

The directive issued by the UHM will cause a great, unnecessary inconvenience to the ferry service, especially considering that many tourists visit Gozo in summer, the company said.

It said two of its employees in Cirkewwa and two in Mgarr are responsible for loading passengers’ suitcases onto the ferry and unloading them upon arrival.

Records show that the amount of luggage does not increase enough to hire more people to do this job, the company claimed. Therefore, after the UHM’s insistence, the Gozo Channel has chosen to ask passengers to load their suitcases onto luggage trolleys.

The elderly and the disabled will still be assisted by Gozo Channel employees. This decision should ensure that passengers are still given an efficient service without an increased workload on the employees.