GWU defends shipyards' agreement

In an apparent reference to the comments made in parliament on Monday by Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, the General Workers' Union said yesterday it had always resisted discussing any plan to close down the shipyards.

Dr Sant accused the government of pursuing the wrong strategy on the shipyards, saying it seemed to want to close down the sector with its transfer of 900 workers from the dockyard.

In a statement, the union said: "With reference to speeches made in parliament on the shipyards agreement, the GWU holds that its position, both before starting negotiations and after signing the agreement, has been clear and firm. From the start, it did not accept discussing, under any circumstances, any plan to close down the 'yards.

"Moreover, it never accepted any redundancies or changes to workers' conditions."

The union said the restructuring agreement it had signed served to protect jobs. It would continue to defend the workers as it had already shown by taking steps to ensure that the workers' assessments were fair and transparent.

"While the GWU is satisfied to note that the opposition leader and others have said the union has managed to obtain the best possible agreement for shipyard workers, it holds that its primary objective of keeping the 'yards going has been reached through this agreement."