The owners are demanding the payment of arrears they claim they are owed, with the government insisting that only just over a quarter of their claims are justified. Government is saying that from the Lm4,941 bus drivers are demanding, only Lm1,305 is justified.
The meetings, which have been described as cordial, are being held in order to find a solution to the bus owners dispute with the government. While the bus owners want an increase in their salaries, government is saying that it will not consider this request until it sees a dramatic improvement in the service.
A spokesman for the Urban Development and Roads Ministry declined to comment on the outcome of the meetings, saying it would not be prudent to comment at such a delicate stage of the negotiations.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi repeated the government’s position on the issue again last Saturday during an interview on a local radio station. He said that despite the substantial amount of money that has been pumped into subsidising the service, there has not been sufficient improvement.
Dr Gonzi said the time had come for a radical reform of the system, adding that there was also a need for the reduction of the bus fleet from the current figure of 508 because it is no longer sustainable.
He said that discussions were under way with the aim of reaching an agreement, but if this is not reached, then the government will have to take decisions.
Stories carried in The Malta Independent in recent weeks have revealed how the bus owners were requesting that their wage be increased from Lm10,200 to Lm15,141 – an increase of Lm4,941 – in view of increases in both the cost of diesel and the cost of living. They said they have not been given a wage increase since 1998.
But government sources made a few calculations and came back with another figure covering the cost of living adjustment (COLA) and the fuel increases over the five years since 1998. This amounted to a total of Lm663,000.
When divided by the number of buses currently operating in Malta – 508 – the amount which is justified to make up for the increases is Lm1,305 per bus.
This is only 26.4 per cent of the amount being demanded for these increases.