Arriva 'to consider' appointing Maltese management

Arriva has agreed to “consider” appointing a Maltese management team but there is no guarantee, the Transport Ministry has clarified. This newspaper sent a list of questions to Transport Minister Joe Mizzi after he told a press conference on Monday that Arriva had agreed to allow Maltese bosses to take over. “The foreign people at the top of the company were oblivious to the Maltese mentality and tried to introduce work practices which may make sense abroad, but not here,” Mr Mizzi told a press conference. The minister’s comments prompted questions about Government interference in the inner workings of the private company, which had won a 10-year tender to operate Malta’s public bus service. It also raised concerns that replacing Arriva Malta’s foreign managers simply because they were not Maltese may fall foul of EU legislation on employment and freedom of movement. But Mr Mizzi’s spokesperson clarified that the minister has not made any demands about the appointment of a Maltese management team at Arriva. Full story in The Times of Malta and timesofmalta.com Premium http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130816/local/No-guarantee-Arriva-will-appoint-Maltese-leaders.482275