Industrial Action by Transport Workers - Negative impact on EFL industry
The strikes that have hit the Island over the last few days are having a serious impact on the EFL industry and FELTOM is seriously concerned that a continuation of the current situation will have very damaging and potentially long lasting effects on this sector of the tourism industry in Malta.Foreign language students are being seriously affected by this industrial action which is also disrupting private services.
As a result of the suspension of transport services many schools have had to cancel pre-booked and pre-paid tours and excursions to Malta’s places of interest, and any pre-paid evening activities which require some form of transport.
Schools have been unable to provide transport for students who are living some distance from their place of learning. This has resulted in many students walking to school for up to 2 hours in the heat of the day. Several thousand other students, who would normally use private transport, were unable to get to their school on Tuesday and the situation has not been much better on Wednesday.
This unacceptable situation is beginning to alarm clients and foreign agents who are starting to complain at the prolonged inconvenience and disruption being experienced. Schools and agents are also raising concerns about the safety of their clients while in Malta.
To try and ease the current difficult situation, staff from language schools, host families and some suppliers have pitched in to do their best to ferry students to school in the mornings and afternoons as well as helping with airport transfers. In addition there have been many reports of Maltese drivers stopping groups of students in the streets offering assistance by giving them lifts to their schools and accommodation.
The disruption to student learning and leisure activities has been caused primarily by the stoppage of public transport as well as mini vans but most importantly by threats made to UBS coaches, both direct and indirect that ceased operation yesterday.
FELTOM deplores all acts of violence perpetrated by the striking drivers as well as all attempts to block roads, threaten drivers, students and tourists, block access to the airport, disturb public peace and generally taint Malta’s image. Such actions are doing irreparable harm to the hard earned image of Malta as a safe language travel and tourist destination and are also threatening the livelihoods of thousands of hard working Maltese citizens.
FELTOM calls on the Government to use all methods possible to restore full law and order to the country and to take action against anyone breaking the laws of the land.
Damage to the industry will be assessed in due course and language schools are considering all forms of legal action to make good for such damages.