Workforce reduction agreed to save Public Broadcasting Services

Abstract

In April 2004, an agreement on the restructuring of Malta's Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) was reached by the government, company management and the General Workers' Union. In a bid to make the PBS viable, its workforce will be reduced by two-thirds through early retirement and the redeployment of surplus staff. The Maltese government, in an attempt to introduce fiscal rigour and streamline its monetary policy, has been undertaking a restructuring exercise among public entities in order to ensure their sustainability. The restructuring of Malta Drydocks and Shipbuilding was finalised in November 2003 (MT0312102N (//www.eurofound.europa.eu /ef/observatories/eurwork/articles/restructuring-of-malta-drydocks-and-shipbuilding)). The Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) was next in line. In the past three years, the PBS, which has received a yearly subsidy from the government of MTL 2.5 million, has been registering annual losses of MTL 12,000 per employee. Workforce reduction was one of the main elements of the restructuring exercise, as the government believed that the PBS had an excessive number of employees, amounting to two-thirds of the 178-strong workforce. The PBS was also accused of having antiquated work practices, inadequate shift patterns and excessive overtime.