Stern warning by GWU about public holidays measure

The general secretary of the General Workers' Union, Tony Zarb, yesterday warned both the government and employers that if they tried to implement the measures announced in the budget and reduce vacation leave they would be breaking the Industrial Relations Act and collective agreements and would find the union standing in their way.

Speaking at a seminar entitled EU Membership - The First Six Months, organised by the GWU's Reggie Miller Foundation, Mr Zarb said those who promised there will be prosperity and employment on EU membership were now playing a different tune and are saying that one should make sacrifices to be competitive.

"We are no longer hearing that we should be like German and Dutch employees but they are comparing our workers with those in Tunisia, Morocco, China and India. We are now hearing that workers have to make sacrifices so that the country moves ahead," Mr Zarb said.

Referring to the budgetary measure forfeiting public holidays falling on weekends rather than being added to vacation leave, Mr Zarb said the Industrial Relations Act stipulated that employees should be given a day off for every public holiday falling on days off and the government would be breaking the law if it tried to remove them.

The union had fought for the Industrial Relations Act and would resist anyone who wanted to change it at the stroke of a pen.

"The government's decision is a threat to the Industrial Relations Act. If it changes this section it changes other sections too. Equally important is the issue of collective agreements that stipulate clearly that public holidays falling on off days should be added to vacation leave.

"Collective agreements are contracts between employers and employees and are binding on both and the government cannot decide that the clause related to public holidays in such agreements is no longer valid.

"We have contracts that no one gave us on silver plates. We discussed them, agreed on them, so they still hold. The GWU will fight so that collective agreements will continue to be honoured," he said.

"The government can decide to change the Industrial Relations Act but if it tries to do so it would find the GWU on a collision course," Mr Zarb warned.

This is one of the issues the union would be discussing in a meeting with the Prime Minister next week, after which the union would convene its council to decide on the course of action it would take, Mr Zarb said.

Mr Zarb said the union had also sought an explanation as to how the surcharge on water and electricity bills was worked out and hoped the government had not taken everybody for a ride about the matter.

Mr Zarb said were it not for the GWU that took a firm stand within the MCESD, workers would today be shouldering bigger burdens. "Those saying that workers would have shouldered less had a social pact been accepted are not telling the truth," he said.