UHM celebrating 40th anniversary

The Union Haddiema Maghqudin has come a long way since it was set up, but promises to do more in the years to come, UHM secretary-general Gejtu Vella said yesterday as the union announced its slogan and logo for the year that marks its 40th anniversary - "Tahdem... dejjem" (Working... always).

The union was founded on September 29, 1966, and was then a sectoral trade union representing clerical staff working for the government. Back then it was known as the Malta Government Clerical Union.

Over the years, however, the union developed first in 1973 to one that represented government workers, including those in government corporations; then in 1978 it broadened its net to encompass all workers.

The name UHM was adopted then. More recently, in 1996, the union also branched out with a section for pensioners. The development of the union, especially in the late Seventies when it effectively fought for the survival of independent trade unionism in Malta, Mr Vella explained, continued steadily.

Today the union has 26,000 members and recently had to expand its premises to make room for more administrative staff. Mr Vella addressed the media in a new boardroom, used for the first time yesterday.

The union's unique characteristic was that it was truly independent of political parties and therefore worked exclusively in the interest of its members.

Making clear swipes at the comment Labour leader Alfred Sant made when he said that the General Workers Union had a privileged position with the MLP, Mr Vella said the UHM did not need any privileged relationship with political parties. "We don't push anyone's agenda but ours," he said.

As for the label the union is often given of favouring the Nationalist Party, Mr Vella said that if people looked at the industrial action ordered by the UHM during this administration and compared it with the action taken under previous ones, they would realise this was not the case.

"Some may have an interest to push forward that label but the reality is quite different."

Mr Vella, also spoke on the future of trade unionism, as things stand, emphasising the need for a trade union council to be set up in the interest of the workers. There is already a council, he said - the Confederation of Maltese Trade Union (CMTU) - but not all the country's unions are members.

The sizable unions which do not form part of the confederation are the GWU and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses.

The UHM will be celebrating is 40th anniversary with a special programme this year with the highlight being an extraordinary general conference in the summer.