General Workers Union officials will be at the Arriva depot in Floriana tomorrow to review any errors in wages paid to Arriva bus drivers and rectify these errors immediately. Around 50 Arriva drivers yesterday protested over a lower wage received and abandoned their routes for an impromptu meeting held on a bus. 

Their action left many commuters stranded and various routes experienced delays in service. 

The Union said that the wages paid on Friday included a note which stated that the wages according to the collective agreement between the GWU and Arriva, which entered into force on September 30, will applicable from the next wage paid.

The GWU added that it has not dispute with Arriva and has not issued any directive for workers to stop working. It also urged workers to follow the guidelines issued by the Union and be wary of any individuals who might have ulterior motives. The Union will also be defending the workers when these appear before a Board of Discipline.

The GWU emphasised that the collective agreement signed with Arriva includes benefits and increase in wages for less hours of work contrary to what is being alleged that the GWU negotiated a decrease in salaries.

The collective agreement was signed on September 20, 2012, after months of discussions between the GWU and Arriva. The collective agreement was approved with an absolute majority of 94.7% of the employees in a secret ballot by Arriva workers who are GWU members.