Maltapost workers return to sender

Job security is the name of the game for 120 of the 150 Maltapost employees who are entitled to take advantage of a scheme to return to the civil service.

The employees took the decision after Cabinet last month approved the transfer of 25 per cent of the government’s shares in Maltapost to Lombard Bank in a Lm1.2 million (€2.8 million) deal.

Lombard becomes the company’s majority shareholder with a 60 per cent stake, though the government has made it clear it intends to completely privatise Maltapost.

Maltapost employees who formed part of the Posts Department before 1995 have the right to return to the civil service under the terms of the 1996 agreement for public sector workers affected by privatisations. Maltapost has a total of 550 workers.

Union Haddiema Maghqudin president Gejtu Tanti is not surprised at the number of workers who decided to return to the public service.

Postal workers have passed through a turbulent period in the past 12 years – the postal department was turned into Posta Ltd in the mid 1990s before it was closed down and workers temporarily shifted to the Office of the Postmaster.

When Maltapost was born through partial privatisation, around 100 workers decided to return to State employment.

Mr Tanti said the company will now have to make a fresh call for applications, and he insisted that Maltapost was not overstaffed.

However, the UHM president believes Maltapost is now in good hands.

“With the constant improvements in IT, it’s an uphill struggle for all postal companies to do well, but I believe Maltapost will be stronger financially with a reputable bank like Lombard at the helm.”