The General Workers Union is waiting for the government to say whether it agrees with proposals by employers' organisations that workers should not get paid for the first three days that they are sick, general secretary Tony Zarb said yesterday.

Speaking during a ceremony to mark Workers' Day - which is celebrated today - Mr Zarb said workers should unite like never before because the front forming between the employers and the government was getting stronger, to the detriment of workers.

He made his remarks at the foot of the Workers' Monument at Msida - where the GWU was born on October 5, 1943 - before placing flowers on the monument with the members of the union's administration.

Mr Zarb said the union was urging the government to be sensitive to the plight of workers, and should seek to improve the current situation quickly. He stressed that the government could not continue burdening the workers, but that these burdens should be shared by everyone.

The union, he promised, would continue focusing on the principle of social justice. He urged workers to remember not only the rights they managed to achieve during the years, but to also keep the future in mind, and think about how they could overcome upcoming difficulties.