GWU wants soldiers to be able to join a union

The General Workers' Union said it will soon apply for membership of the European Organisation of Military Associations (Euromil) after being asked by the Soldiers' Dependents Group to represent them.

GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said this would be the union's first step before it starts urging the government to allow soldiers and other military personnel the right of association in a trade union.

The GWU will also be inviting political parties to make this an electoral issue.

Andreas D. Pruefert, secretary general of Euromil, told a news conference there should not be any difficulties concerning the GWU's application, which Mr Zarb said would be filed before May when the organisation was expected to meet again.

Mr Pruefert said Euromil covered 22 countries from the geographic European area, including countries where military personnel had the right of association and others where, like Malta, France and the UK, they did not.

He said soldiers in Malta worked under very bad conditions, their pay was meagre, they were not paid overtime and they were not given additional days off when they worked on public holidays.

Mr Pruefer said he had a very frank meeting with the army commander, Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, who said the army was short staffed by 300 people and the problem of illegal immigration was draining the army of human and other resources. But although he agreed to allow a Euromil representative to hold a lecture for soldiers in the future, he was not in favour of giving soldiers the right of association in a trade union.

Mr Pruefert said he was positively surprised with his meeting with Brigadier Vassallo as he did not expect him to be so welcoming and open-minded.