Dissatisfaction at Union Press

Tony Zarb, general secretary of the General Workers Union, censured an article written by union president Salvu Sammut.

Mr Sammut wrote an article last September in l-orizzont, in which he criticised Dom Mintoff for forming the Front Maltin Inqumu. But the original article Mr Sammut sent to l-orizzont's editor also contained several paragraphs with criticism directed to Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who is also the union's legal advisor.

All the references to Dr Mifsud Bonnici were however deleted by Mr Zarb, who made it a point to go through the article to ensure that all references made in the plural were then changed to singular to make it seem that the GWU president was only attacking Mr Mintoff.

The article, as edited by Mr Zarb, appeared on September 18 with the heading "Why now?".

In his original article, Mr Sammut was critical of Dr Mifsud Bonnici for having taken Mr Mintoff's side. He said his move to go to Mintoff's side had created "confusion".

Mr Sammut wrote that he could not understand why Dr Mifsud Bonnici, "who had created the CNI, which was beginning to be heard, had left this organisation to join Mr Mintoff's new front, which was not against EU membership but against the way negotiations were being conducted".

Mr Sammut said he could not understand how Dr Mifsud Bonnici went by Mr Mintoff's side when the latter had repeatedly criticised him heavily.

Mr Sammut said Dr Mifsud Bonnici was good where industrial relations were concerned "but politics was not his strongest point".

"I cannot understand why Dr Mifsud Bonnici went by Mr Mintoff's side. Does he believe that with Mintoff on his side he would be leading something? It's impossible. Does he think that whatever he says would be taken into account? I wonder," Mr Sammut wrote.

But all of these paragraphs were deleted by Mr Zarb.

Sources close to Union Press were very worried when they learnt that the GWU president was not as powerful as they had made him out to be.

The sources said a delegation from Union Print was toying with the idea of making representations to him as union president because they were concerned about decisions that were being taken about the management at Union Press and Union Print.

The sources said they were also trying to make their voice heard in the union's national council but, ironically, the union employees were finding it difficult to find a shoulder to lean on.

"We were banking on Mr Sammut for some sort of support, but when we saw that he had been so heavily censured by the secretary general and that he had taken no action about Mr Zarb's action on Tony Coleiro's candidature, our opinion about him has changed.

"Another issue we are smelling a rat about was that Mr Zarb had not taken any action after former Cospicua mayor Paul Muscat wrote in l-orizzont on September 30 saying that Mr Coleiro was actively canvassing for the next general election, when Mr Coleiro had signed a declaration to the union that he was no longer a party candidate.

"Following such a public declaration, one would have expected Mr Zarb to take action and clarify the air. The fact that nothing happened makes one suspect that Mr Zarb might have something to hide," the sources said.

"This just shows that the union organs are not functioning well," the sources said.

Last year, Mr Coleiro was at loggerheads with the union after he had declared he was going to contest the next general elections with the Malta Labour Party.

The union administration and council had said this went against the union's rules and that Mr Coleiro had to decide whether he wanted to remain a union official or whether he wanted to become an MLP candidate. The union's national council had backed the administration on the matter.

After a long-drawn battle with the union, Mr Coleiro had to give the union a signed declaration that he was no longer a party candidate. But before this declaration was signed, Mr Zarb had ascertained both the drydocks workers section executive committee and Mr Coleiro that he could continue with his door-to-door canvassing for the next general election, even though he was being asked to sign a declaration that he was no longer an MLP candidate.

Sources observed that Mr Zarb's declaration went against the decision of the union's national council and that most union officials were not informed about it.

"In fact they got to know about it when a story was published in The Times last October. The issue was raised at the last national council meeting in mid-October, where Mr Zarb did not deny he had made such a declaration but had brushed the issue aside by first insisting it should be discussed later in the day and when the issue came up again towards the end of the meeting, to save the day, instead of discussing it he said he would be seeking legal advice about the matter and gave the impression he would be filing lawsuits.

"The council has not yet been told what the advice given was and no lawsuits have been filed. All this means that union employees have no one they can turn to any more and can only get support by leaking material to the press. And that is what we intend doing," the sources said.

"When Mr Sammut became GWU president last year he had stated in l-orizzont that he was not prepared to be a figurehead. He had stated he was not prepared to be like a statue taken out of its niche once a year to be dusted and paraded and then put back in its niche. But those words appear to have been very hollow words," sources close to Union Print said.

Union Press staff are very angry that the union decided that there will be only one worker director instead of three on the board running the Union Press and Union Print.

Last month, the union national council had approved a motion moved by Mr Zarb saying that a management consultancy company was to start running Union Press and Union Print.

It later transpired that this company was owned by Tony Meilaq, who during Dr Sant's government was made chairman at Maltacom.

To add insult to injury, one of the persons who has been earmarked to go back to Union Press is Mr Silvio Debono, who is now employed with Mr Meilaq but who, a few years ago, had already been given a post of chief executive by the GWU itself, but whose contract was not renewed as the experiment was deemed to have failed.

Following Mr Debono, Richard Matrenza and later Neville Abela were given the post of chief executive by the union while experimenting with changes in management, but they too were not reappointed to the post.

"These experiments have cost Union Press hundreds of thousands of liri. The irony is that when there was no chief executive and the kind of management the union wants today, the Union Press has incurred less debts," the sources said.