GWU president to stand for re-election

General Workers' Union president Salvu Sammut is to stand for re-election, saying yesterday that he "was always militant" in the defence of workers' interests.

His stance contrasts sharply with that of his contestant, Raymond Arpa, a former worker director at Air Malta, who on Wednesday told The Times that militancy should be the approach of last resort and that the fastest way to achieve things was around the negotiating table. Mr Sammut worked at the now defunct Interprint for 38 years and was recently given termination benefits.

The president of the GWU receives an allowance of Lm1,500 a year - the post is not a full-time job - but he is also employed by the GWU as executive head of operations and receives remuneration as the union's representative on the Health and Safety Authority.

Mr Sammut said he is a member of other government boards and is active in international fora where he represents the GWU.

In the contest for other top GWU posts, Emanuel Micallef, the deputy secretary general, has declared his intention to stand for secretary general while Josephine Attard Sultana and Roberto Christiano will be contesting Mr Micallef's post.

Gejtu Mercieca, the section secretary of the union's chemical workers section, is also campaigning for this post.

Mr Mercieca is one of the union's hardliners, an advocate of militancy on the same wavelength as secretary general Tony Zarb and Mr Sammut. In a recent article in l-orizzont he wrote that during industrial disputes he preferred to immediately resort to confrontation "so that workers would not be able to say I deceived them".

In a circular he sent earlier this week, a copy of which was forwarded to The Times, Mr Mercieca, informed the delegates of his section of his decision to contest.

In an emotional appeal he said: "I am doing this so that together with my friend and partner Tony Zarb, we will not allow this organisation to be taken over by people who are serving the interests of the Nationalist government. Hence I am seeking your support and ask you to urge others to vote to stop those who are trying to harm the union."

He said militancy was a tactic that was needed more than ever before as wherever there was restructuring, jobs had been lost and employment conditions had deteriorated.

In sharp contrast to this stand, Mr Micallef, Ms Attard Sultana and Mr Arpa have advocated the use of brains rather than brawn in the union's dealings.