PN print workers facing uncertain future

The decision to close down the Nationalist Party’s printing press as part of a cost-cutting exercise has thrown the employees into a sea of uncertainty. Although the eight workers at Independence Print have been told they will become redundant once the printing press closes down on September 15, none of them has so far been handed their notice in writing. They are now at a loss, as they have been left mulling whether to seek another job or wait a few more weeks in the hope of receiving termination benefits. Sources said the employees were asking for two weeks wages for every year of employment as stipulated in their collective agreement. However, the management is facing a Catch-22 situation, since the majority of the workers have been employed for more than 30 years. As a result, the impact of such an option on the party’s coffers would be much worse than keeping all the workers until they reach retirement age. Contacted by Times of Malta, an upbeat PN general secretary, Chris Said, insisted that until yesterday no redundancies had been officially announced. He reiterated that such a decision would only be taken as a last resort, while denying reports that the party planned to...