The Malta Public Transport has cancelled an agreement which was to bring 15 bus drivers from the United Kingdom after controversy raged over their wages.

It was reported that these drivers were to receive 18.50 sterling (€21.20) an hour, against the €7.50 an hour earned by the other drivers.

In a statement today, MPT “categorically denies any wrongdoing and maintains that it acted in line with legislation. Notwithstanding, the company has decided to cancel the agreement.”

Malta Public Transport said that it was forced to look into this solution as a temporary measure for three months, due to delays in the recruitment process, so as to ensure that the public transport service is provided in line with contracted requirements. These 15 bus drivers were outsourced through this agency in the past weeks, but they have not yet carried out any public transport driving duties and will shortly be returning to the UK.

Malta Public Transport said it continuously recruits bus drivers from Malta and around the world to be able to provide its growing network of public transport services. The company currently has 26 licenced bus drivers who have completed their training and are waiting to sit for their Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) test. There are also another 74 bus drivers that are currently in training whose recruitment was delayed due to the process of issuing permits and visas. Therefore, the company has sufficient resources but, due to bureaucracy and unjustified delays, they are unable to work.

Malta Public Transport reiterated that it is an equal opportunities employer that employs around 1,300 employees across its operations. Employment conditions for all its workforce are published in a collective agreement and do not discriminate on the basis of nationality, gender, religious beliefs or anything else. The company also launched an initiative for its existing bus drivers who would like to work over-time hours, especially during these seasonal peaks.

Through this initiative, bus drivers receive an allowance over and above the regular over-time rate as stipulated by law. Just like the outsourced bus drivers in the contingency plan, this initiative aims to secure enough human resources to deliver the public transport service without interruptions, for the benefit of all bus passengers, the company said.