Maltapost is the Malta's national postal service, in which the government owns 65% of the shares. In February 2002, Transend Worldwide Limited, a subsidiary of New Zealand Post, acquired a 35% of Maltapost shares and was given a contract to manage the enterprise. Transend is involved in a growing and diverse range of international contracts. It provides consulting expertise, and supplies, instals and maintains a portfolio of systems and products.
In May 2004, Malta's national postal service, Maltapost, became involved in a dispute over staffing levels with the Union of United Workers (UHM). The dispute escalated when UHM instructed employees to refrain from carrying out several work-related tasks. The conflict was finally settled after several meetings involving UHM, Maltapost, and government officials.
Maltapost is the Malta's national postal service, in which the government owns 65% of the shares. In February 2002, Transend Worldwide Limited, a subsidiary of New Zealand Post, acquired a 35% of Maltapost shares and was given a contract to manage the enterprise. Transend is involved in a growing and diverse range of international contracts. It provides consulting expertise, and supplies, instals and maintains a portfolio of systems and products.
Over 2002-4, Transend has invested around MTL 1.3 million in major reforms meant to reduce costs and to upgrade Maltapost’s operations to meet the requirements of EU postal services Directives and international standards. The various reforms included refurbishing, computerising and networking the branches, introducing new mail-processing tools and equipment and re-measuring and changing the size of the postal workers' rounds.
The trade union representing the Maltapost workforce, the Union of United Workers (Union Haddiema Maghqudin, UHM) (MT0404102F), voiced concern about the effects of these changes on the working conditions of the employees and the quality of the public service. While the union claimed that there was a staff shortage of more than 40, Maltapost management insisted the company was just five workers short. After inconclusive discussions with the management over the staffing level, the public entities section of UHM ordered industrial action at Maltapost for 10 May.
UHM instructed workers to refrain from making any postbox collections and going on extra rounds. Maltapost workers were also instructed to stop distributing certain notifications, while an overtime ban was ordered at EMS, a postal service which enables an item to be dispatched in the quickest possible way. Almost all Maltapost workers abided with the union's instructions.
On 11 May, industrial action was stepped and up and Maltapost workers were instructed to work to rule, after a scheduled conciliation meeting was not held. Later on in the week, UHM further escalated up industrial action after Maltapost management was accused of strike breaking. This occurred when management started collecting mail from postboxes, a duty that UHM had instructed workers not to perform. Various meetings held between UHM, Maltapost and government officials during the following days failed to break the deadlock.
Actions culminated in a strike at the Maltapost central mail room on 15 May. This was followed by a lock-out of around 35 employees for about three hours by Maltapost management.
Later on 15 May, industrial action was suspended following an agreement to hold a meeting on 17 May. This meeting was inconclusive. However, UHM, Maltapost, the Management Efficiency Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister and officials from the Ministry for Information Technology and Investment held further meetings with the aim of analysing the staffing level at Maltapost. The outcome of these protracted meetings was an announcement on 25 May that an agreement had been reached on the question of staffing levels.
It was agreed that Maltapost would employee another 14 workers immediately. The new workers would be chosen from among ex-Maltapost employees who have recently been transferred to the public service, and from people who are currently employed in public entities or in the public sector. UHM and Maltapost also reached an agreement that a time and motion study should be carried out in different sectors of the organisation, to be completed by the end of June. Maltapost bound itself to implement the proposals arising from this study.
All the parties involved expressed their satisfaction with the agreement and their conviction that the new measures will improve the quality of Maltapost’s services and enhance its financial situation.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2004), Agreement at Maltapost after industrial action, article.
