Juan Ameen

Union Haddiema Maghqudin (UHM) general secretary Gejtu Vella yesterday expressed his disappointment at the government’s constant silence on the port reform issue.

“The port reform has to be ready by the end of this year and yet till this morning there was no reply from the government on the issue,” he said.

Mr Vella was speaking at a coffee morning organised by the UHM for pensioners.

He queried what was taking the government so long to get back to the UHM.

“No can blame the UHM if the reform fails to be discussed in time as we did all we could to initiate social dialogue with the government,” he said.

He added that the UHM strongly believes that social dialogue eventually leads to a solution.

“However, the two sides are needed for dialogue to take place,” he said.

He said that the Maltese government will have around e850 million to invest in the infrastructure, training and education and the environment, among other things.

Mr Vella reminded the pensioners that next year is the last year before the euro is introduced in Malta.

“The UHM is working hard to create awareness about the euro and the effect it will have on Maltese society,” he said.

He urged those present to keep their eyes open and report any establishments that want to take advantage of the euro changeover.

Mr Vella said that there were several “mystery shoppers” – people who will shop and verify that there is no abuse – who will keep an eye out on the situation.

The UHM will work hard to make sure that prices will not go up due to the euro changeover, he added.

“We strongly believe in the ‘name and shame’ method – those that will abuse will be reported,” said Mr Vella.

He also spoke about the increasing amount of foreign investment attracted to Malta and said that Malta is a stable economy with capable workers who are prepared to meet any challenge.

Ongoing training and life-long education is the key to success, he added.