Lotto Receivers and Maltco The Way Forward

Since Lotto Receivers joined GRTU in September 2012,
GRTU and the Lotto Receivers Union (LRU) have striven against all odds to make
sure that operations continue undeterred day in, day out. Dealing with Maltco is not an easy piece of cake, and
although finally agreement was reached it took a lot of synergies to make his
happen.

Saying this Lotto Receivers need to wake up to the
stark realities of 2013. We are in a world that operates 24 hours a day, seven
days a week, and like many businesses out there, need to compete and sell. One
might ask but does Maltco have competition? Of course it does, consumers decide
where to spend their available income, so choices are made. But without fail,
providing better services, longer hours of service in decent Maltco sales
outlets should be a priority for both Lotto Receivers under Maltco's
supervision.

Maltco's introduction of the National Lottery should
bolster sales to Lotto Receivers. Whilst many Lotto operators are committed to
providing a very good service, others do need to pull up their sleeves to
provide at least the agreed 30hours of service.                             

Maltco should also take note of where it decides to
provide allocations of new outlets. It really does not hold water if a Lotto
Receiver invested money to open a Maltco outlet (80square metres) and now
Maltco decides to provide an operational licence to someone else, 500 metres
away, with merely 25 square space. Whilst the prerogative of running one's
business lies with the company, Lotto receivers should be looked at as
emanating from the other side of the fence.

Good relations between Maltco and Lotto Receivers
remain an essential loop in order to make a success story out of this
partnership in the coming nine years.

Maltco need to make sure that the Lotto Receivers`
dignity remains intact. Now that by close of business today, all instructions
would be in place, GRTU hopes that the past few months of laborious discussions
now start to reap fruit.

Lotto Receivers have a livelihood which needs to be
protected. However the onus lies on Maltco to continue to work incessantly to
build a better relationship with all stakeholders. Maltco also need to abide to
their corporate social responsibilities including those relating to packaging
waste amongst others.

Whilst they place a massive amount of recyclables on
the market, they also place packaging waste and they are obliged to comply with
Legal Notice 277 of 2006.

GRTU and the LRU (Lotto Receivers Union) truly hope
that an agreement reached earlier this week with the intervention of the
Minister for Finance, the Economy and Investments (MFEI), Dr.Tonio Fenech, will
be the basis of a better future for every stakeholder. While the past has
provided a lot of experience we need to work on the future. Maltco should
strive harder to obtain more revenues for themselves and the Lotto Receivers.
We need to leave the past behind us… That is history.