Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1480753
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 NEWS CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Senior Policy Officers and Policy Officers The Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade is currently accepting applications for the positions of Senior Policy Officers and Policy Officers. These positions enable you to join this Ministry and embark on a career that provides you with the opportunity to be an asset in the delivery of Malta's Diplomatic Service, where every single person will be able to enhance one's attributes. If you are interested in making a difference, do not miss this opportunity, even more so during this period in which Malta will be holding a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, in the coming two years. For more information please refer to https://foreign.gov.mt Deadline for applications is Friday 14 October 2022 at 17:15 CET www.foreign.gov.mt GOVERNMENT OF MALTA MINISTRY FOR FOREIGN AND EUROPEAN AFFAIRS AND TRADE Letter of Intention ABIGAIL BALDACCHINO LA ROSA of JOB GIANT LTD, declares their intention for the company to register for an Employment Agency licence in accordance to article of the Employment and Training Services Act, 1990 (Act XXVIII of 1990). The activities proposed to be carried out are the following: 1) Recruitment Consultancy 2) Interviewing, selection and placements of candidates in employment 3) Recruitment of persons from abroad to employment in Malta or in an EU member state 4) Recruitment of persons in Malta for employment in Malta or in an EU member state. 5) Advertising of the filling of vacancies 6) Keeping a register of applicants for employment Official Registered Office Address. 1, CLOVERLEAF COURT, TRIQ L-AHMAR, MARSASKALA, MALTA Company Registration Number : C 103197 DATE: 29/09/2022 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The free service is applicable for both day routes and night routes. But patrons will still be ex- pected to pay the full fare if they do not have a Tallinja card. Users were warned by email last week that inspectors will still carry out random in- spections on the buses each day in order to check that all passengers have tapped their Tallinja card or purchased a cash ticket. "If you do not tap the card on the machine inside the bus, you will be fined €50 and your Tallinja Card will be confiscat- ed until you pay your fine," the transport ministry said. The personalised Tallinja card is being retained to provide valuable statistical information which can help the authorities improve the bus service. When asked last month whether government is expect- ing an increase in patronage after October, the ministry in- dicated that an increase in the number of passenger trips was being anticipated, with the ex- pectations being that by year- end figures will rise to the re- cord patronage year of 2019. When asked whether the number of buses will be in- creased in view of any expect- ed demand for the service, the government spokesperson re- plied that "expected passenger trips demand increases are be- ing projected and factored in route frequency requirements". jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Free buses CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The VETS proposal, which was agreed upon with the General Workers Union, the Union of Cabin Crew, the Airline Engineers association, and the AAOC union, will offer €40,000 to those who have served up to five years; €80,000 to those serving 5-10 years; €120,000 for 10-15 years of service; €150,000 for 15-20 years of service; €180,000 for 20-25 years; €210,000 for 25- 30; and €240,000 for those of over 30 years of service. Air Malta staff aged 50 and over are eligible for an early retirement scheme if they have served 20 years and over, to be paid two-thirds of their total take-home pay, capped at a maximum €300,000. The airline's current comple- ment of around 900 had to be reduced to around 420 with workers being offered alterna- tive employment with govern- ment. Finance minister Clyde Caru- ana had said the cost-cutting plan that will see the airline ridding itself of ground han- dling operations, was inde- pendent of the amount of state aid the European Commission will allow. Brussels has not yet pro- nounced itself on the amount of state aid the government will be able to pump into the airline. Restructuring intends to give the airline "a fighting chance" to survive with redundancies expected to be completed by the first half of this year, Caru- ana had said. But the Malta Employers Association dubbed the sev- erance packages as "the most obscene in Malta's industrial relations history", accusing the government of squander- ing taxpayers' money to re- solve a mess of its own making. "Companies and employees cannot take the government's appeal for tax compliance se- riously when it is distributing millions of their taxes to a priv- ileged few, with such handouts amounting to more than an average worker saves in his or her lifetime," the MEA said. Air Malta is currently being restructured to dramatical- ly reduce its headcount and overheads. Air Malta could also be forking out thousands in pay- ments to pilots who retire in line with a collective agree- ment clause that government may 'buy out'. The collective agreement clause states that individuals aged 55 or more, who have been pilots with the national airline for more than 25 years, would be paid two-thirds of their salary each month until they retire. Industry sources have told MaltaToday the clause al- lowing pilots to be paid two- thirds of their salary, while not actually working, is cost- ing the airline "a lot of mon- ey". There have been talks be- tween the airline and the pi- lots' union in a bid to have this clause removed with sources saying that the government is even considering "buying it out". Air Malta is passing through a painful restructuring pro- cess as government seeks the European Commission's green light to shore up the airline. Pilots were excluded from the severance package deal since Air Malta had sacked 69 pilots in the summer of 2020 after talks with the Airline Pi- lots Association broke down. The move came after a pro- tracted stand-off between the airline's management and pi- lots after the latter refused to accept a social wage of €1,200 per month in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. 345 take up Air Malta severance