New agreement between Freeport and dockers’ union to provide stability

Malta Freeport Terminals and the Malta Dockers Union have just signed an 11-year agreement that will provide stability for licensed port workers as well as for the company that runs the international transshipment hub in Birżebbuġa.

The Service Level Agreement, which expires in 2032, is geared to enable the Freeport to adapt to the commercial and operational realities in the maritime sector, which has been going through a period of transformation and adapting to new challenges, especially after with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through this agreement, new measures will be introduced that will lead to increased efficiency and productivity, while providing stability for both sides. It further builds on the previous agreement, which expired in May 2020, and establishes increases that will be scaled over the next 11 years.

Freeport CEO Alex Montebello said this agreement continues to build on the existing good relations with the MDU, which helped forge the way forward at a time when the world was facing stiff competition and huge economic challenges.

Both Mr Montebello and MDU president Ryan Fava agreed that the mature negotiations led to one common goal — an agreement that creates the right conditions for licensed workers and greater efficiency for the Freeport.