Crisis? What crisis?

I recalled the famous phrase - "Crisis? What crisis?" - that is reputed to have brought down Jim Callaghan's UK Labour government in 1979, when I perceived the stance adopted by Geitu Mercieca and Tony Zarb after being faced with the greatest mass desertion that the GWU has ever had to face in its 63 years of existence.

According to Mr Mercieca, it was 'business as usual' for the GWU last week (as reported in last Sunday's It-Torca), while the GWU daily l-Orizzont last Wednesday reported that all section secretaries (i.e. those of them that are still in place) had full confidence in the union's administration (fiducja shiha fl-amministrazzjoni).

Incidentally, the famous three words were never uttered by Mr Callaghan, but were simply a headline that appeared in The Sun. Mr Callaghan - on returning from abroad, much like Mr Zarb did this week - had simply said that he did not think people in the world agreed that there was mounting chaos in the UK. The Sun's headline was a piece of "journalistic licence" but it captured the popular mood so much that it assumed legendary status. Such is the power of the press!

Yet, on the same day that the GWU daily flaunted on its front page a picture of Mr Zarb and Mr Mercieca surrounded by the faithful section secretaries, all newspapers reported the setting up of a new union for port workers with the number of members joining it putting to rest the speculation - previously reported as fact by l-Orizzont - that the majority of port workers were set to remain members of the GWU.

Malta's ports are the country's lifeline and the setting up of the new Malta Dockers Union (MDU), following the termination of the contract with the GWU-owned Cargo Handling Co. Ltd, means that the GWU's stranglehold on this lifeline has evaporated into thin air. It is now just a thing of the past. The importance of this development is much more far-reaching than is apparent at face value from the desertion of 300-odd members from the GWU.

Mr Zarb and Mr Mercieca keep putting on a brave face. According to last Thursday's l-Orizzont, Mr Zarb has written to the Minister of Tourism asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the situation of Air Malta employees in the light of the introduction of low-cost airlines. Apart from the obvious 'spanner in the works' attitude after both GWU papers and its officials had been screaming for action to boost the tourism industry, the idea of this piece of 'news' was obviously to reinforce the impression that what had happened to the GWU was simply a drop of water on a duck's back.

In the same edition of the GWU newspaper, Mr Zarb wrote what he thought was an inspiring 'analysis' of the situation, under the heading "'l quddiem nimxu" (moving ahead) explaining how wrong are those who think that the GWU is going to lose a lot of time on what has been happening to it! No way! Why should they waste precious time in a 'post-mortem' exercise about the biggest setback that the GWU has had to face since it was founded?

Tony assured his readers that "the sturdy and strong" GWU team (tim (sic) sod u b'sahhtu) will continue unabated in its mission to be of service to its members - or what remains of them. Tony is convinced that nothing and no one is going to destabilise the GWU, the biggest trade union in Malta. Crisis? What crisis?

Incredibly, Mr Zarb keeps insisting that the recent developments in the GWU were the result of a plot inspired by the Nationalist Party! Since weakening the GWU is in the PN's interest - Tony goes on, without explaining why - what has happened must have been inspired by the PN. This 'logic' conveniently saves him from even considering the possibility that something might be wrong with his methods.

In his article, he also repeated allegations about what was discussed in a meeting that Dr George Abela had with the Prime Minister and allegations that those GWU officials who resigned were given public sector jobs overnight, in spite of the fact that both allegations had been officially denied.

Mr Zarb seems bent on persuading himself that he and Geitu Mercieca and their leadership - or lack of it - had nothing to do with the spate of resignations from the GWU that have now amounted to a veritable haemorrhage. They do not for one moment even think that it might have been their inane methods that led to the predicament that the GWU is currently facing! They are right and everybody else must be wrong; and, in any case, this predicament does not even exist! Ironically, these two people continually accuse the government of arrogance.

The ousted secretary of the GWU Public Service Section - Josephine Attard Sultana - in a letter that appeared in l-Orizzont last Monday succinctly explained that what was wrong with the GWU today was that minority opinions were not deemed acceptable. Instead of being loyal to the institution, people are being expected to be loyal to the persons running the institution - to the extent that any difference of opinion with the central administration is being smothered as it is considered to be disloyalty.

I have no doubt that Mr Zarb and Mr Mercieca will plod on doggedly in their set ways. There is nothing surprising in this. History is full of leaders who kept on marching to their downfall, refusing to acknowledge and face evident facts and realities. These tactics could hold up the real reform that is needed in the GWU for some more time. However, the fate of these outdated tactics and attitudes is already sealed. As the Italians would put it, tardare sì, scappare no!

Crisis? What crisis?

micfal@maltanet.net