GWU woos employers over anti-surcharge campaign

"We will either survive together or drown together," the general secretary of the General Workers' Union, Tony Zarb told a Malta Employers' Association delegation yesterday.

During a meeting at the Workers' Memorial Building, in Valletta, the first part of which was open to the media, Mr Zarb told MEA president Pierre Fava that section secretaries were pressuring the GWU to do something about the burdens the water and electricity surcharge was putting on workers.

"We want to pull the same rope as employers on this issue which could make us or break us," Mr Zarb said.

At the end of March, the GWU presented a set of proposals to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi over the surcharge - introduced in October 2005 to make up for the hike in international oil prices - emphasising the need to cushion its negative effects on workers and pensioners. Among its proposals, the union had suggested that rebates be introduced and income tax bands reviewed.

The GWU was convinced that the surcharge was not only a burden on workers but also on employers, Mr Zarb said, emphasising the need for unions and employers to work together in a single front to seek solutions to the problem.

Mr Zarb added that besides the surcharge, workers had been deprived of four leave days over the past two years when the government amended the law so that feast days falling on weekends are not added to workers' leave entitlement. Mr Fava said Maltese industry was indeed facing problems, adding it was not just the manufacturing industry that was suffering but also the services sector, especially tourism.

"The country seems to be blocked in the transition period following accession to the European Union," Mr Fava said, adding that local manufacturers were facing fierce competition from imported goods.

The GWU last week met officials from the Federation of Industry to discuss the impact of the surcharge.

In a joint statement, the two organisations had expressed concerns that the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development was not reaching all its objectives and said that its structure and operating procedures should be reviewed.