New GWU port and transport section secretary

General Workers' Union general secretary Tony Zarb yesterday denied that all reports that had been commissioned by the union on the impact of EU membership were in favour of accession.

Mr Zarb said one of the reports concerning the port and transport section concluded that membership would mean reduced salaries and redundancies.

He was speaking at the Workers Memorial Buildings during an extraordinary general meeting of the Port and Transport Section which appointed Manwel Zammit as the union's new section secretary.

Mr Zammit, who in recent weeks worked as acting secretary of the section, takes over from Manwel Micallef who has been appointed as the union's deputy general secretary.

Mr Micallef occupied the post of section secretary for three years.

Mr Zammit's nomination for the post of section secretary was yesterday uncontested and his appointment was confirmed by a unanimous show of hands.

Another nomination for Joseph Saliba was withdrawn earlier this week.

Speaking to members of the section, Mr Zarb said that Finance Minister John Dalli had advised the GWU to divulge the contents of reports on the EU to its members and this was precisely what union would be doing.

Mr Zarb said it was being claimed that all the reports spoke in favour of European Union membership, but the report on the Port and Transport Section concluded that Air Malta and Gozo Channel Ltd workers would be affected by reduced salaries and job losses.

The report also says that membership would have a negative affect on port workers and stevedores. It also concludes that the standard of living of these workers would go down and the number of workers reduced.

Mr Zarb said the GWU would in the coming weeks be explaining the possible impact of EU membership to workers.

"We now hope that people will not say that those reports are not valid when we reveal the contents," Mr Zarb said.

He said he would have more to say on the matter in the coming weeks and months.