Employees’ rights and dignity must be ‘respected to the fullest’ in HSBC Malta exit, says union

The union representing bank employees has called for their rights and, “more importantly, their dignity,” to be “respected to the fullest” regardless of what happens to HSBC Bank Malta.

The Malta Union of Bank Employees (MUBE) said it will not, at this stage, enter into the merits of whether HSBC Malta “should be acquired by or merged with a foreign entity or a Maltese one or whether it is dissolved and its assets sold.”

Earlier this month, WhosWho.mt exclusively revealed that APS Bank, a local institution majority-owned by the Church, is in talks to acquire HSBC Bank Malta.

However, neither bank has yet issued any explicit confirmation of the negotiations.

MUBE called upon all concerned to ensure that “transparency and fairness… are tangibly practised in the interests of the employees and the country as a whole.”

It said that it “has sought and will continue engaging with all the relevant players, including regulatory and governance operators,” adding that it will be insisting on the transparency of the process and timely consultation.”

It added: “MUBE’s interest is mainly people-focused and clearly not business-driven,” it added. “MUBE, consistently with its ethos, will place itself front and centre to ensure this, giving due consideration to nothing other than the interests of all employees concerned.”