GWU condemns 'attempts' to force resignations

The national council of the General Workers' Union has strongly condemned what it termed as "attempts and manoeuvres" underway to force the secretary and the administration of its construction and metal workers' section to resign.

The council pointed an accusing finger at recently resigned members of the section's executive committee and said their bid to force the resignations went against all procedures.

The secretary, Alfred Cassar, is known to have expressed his intention to resign following disagreement within the section over the collective agreement for shipyard workers.

The council warned it would not tolerate anyone "taking the law into one's own hands" for selfish purposes and would not be an accomplice with those who could put shipyard jobs on the line.

It condemned the "hostile treatment" shown by a small number of workers towards Mr Cassar and another union official when they recently went to speak to them at the 'yard.

Meanwhile, drydocks sources said the union's office at the 'yard had been closed down because the assistant section secretary, who used to man it, had not been there for a while and Mr Cassar no longer visited.

"The closure, the result of section infighting, is ironic when the union had fought so hard to keep it open during the recent talks over the shipyard agreement," the sources said.