Bad poker player

In summer the Maltese government managed to agree with the Grimaldi Group over how the jobs of Sea Malta workers could be saved. Some would have been employed by Grimaldi's Atlantica, others would have been transferred to the public sector.

But this wasn't enough for Tony Zarb, the secretary general of the General Workers' Union. He wanted to show what a good poker player he was and asked for more and more. He came up with fantastic proposals which could only be declined.

The Grimaldis are experienced global players, successful business people. Mr Zarb isn't any of that. So he decided to start a career as a poker player. The stake: over a hundred Maltese jobs.

When you play poker you need the will to win. You have to realise when you can actually win a game and when it is better to pass. And you must not show your hand.

At no time could I see Mr Zarb showing the passion to win. Of course, he spoke many words and made rhetorical speeches, but to me they all appeared insubstantial. With his militancy he showed his hand. And that was the only ace he had in hand. Knowing what came of it all, I think it is clear that he also failed to realise when it was better to pass as there was no way he could win.

Now he will probably accuse the Maltese government of the outcome and the loss of 144 jobs.

It is always like that with bad players. They first think they can win every game. Then they fail and get badly defeated. And then they accuse the others of cheating, misplaying or having applied rules he didn't know about.

The government can only be accused of two things: 1. They allowed a man like Mr Zarb to become the head of a union. 2. They let him raise his voice abroad.

I feel sorry for the 144 workers who will now lose their jobs just because of their ignorant and incompetent union leader.