The executive committee of the General Workers' Union's public sector section yesterday asked the court to declare that the union administration had no right to call a meeting of their section.

Former section secretary Josephine Attard Sultana, former president Francis Buttigieg and nine committee members filed the writ in the First Hall of the Civil Court against GWU general secretary Tony Zarb, deputy general secretaries Geitu Mercieca and Michael Parnis, union president Salvu Sammut and vice president Helen Mallia.

The executive committee members asked the court to declare that a petition dated June 22 calling for an extraordinary general conference to remove Ms Attard Sultana from office did not conform to the statute as it did not contain the signature of 40 per cent of the section's delegates.

The court was further asked to declare that it is the executive committee only, on the request of at least 40 per cent of the delegates, that could call such a meeting.

The application was filed by lawyers George Abela and Lydia Zerafa.

Speaking to the press after filing the application, Ms Attard Sultana said the impression being given by the union administration was that she had done something wrong against the union.

"I had spoken to the administration about the matter and explained everything to them but they still persisted in calling an extraordinary general meeting of the section, so I had no alternative but to go to court to try and stop the meeting.

The court effectively stopped the meeting but other meetings were held and the end result was that they achieved their primary aim of ousting me," she said.

Still sporting the GWU emblem on his tie, Mr Buttigieg, who was sacked by the union's national council together with Ms Attard Sultana on Tuesday, said he had nothing against the union but he could not agree with the administration on the way the two had been elbowed out.

Ms Attard Sultana said that as yet she had not been given a reason for her dismissal and no one had told her where she went wrong. Referring to leaflets distributed to delegates before the council meeting that sealed her dismissal from the union, Ms Attard Sultana said she had drawn the administration's attention to the fabrications contained in such leaflets.

Dr Abela deplored what he termed as attacks made against him by the GWU administration, through a press release, simply because he was doing his duty as a lawyer. (Dr Abela has filed two libel suits about the matter. See next article)

He said his clients could not use the GWU's lawyer because he was defending the administration's stand.

He described the union's council's decision as "shameful" and said the last word would not be the council's as the matter will be decided by the court.

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