Musicians leave GWU

The majority of National Orchestra musicians have left the General Workers' Union and joined the Professional and Services Employees Union (PSEU).

The PSEU was set up on September 29 by Karmenu Vella, former section secretary of the Media and Services Section of the GWU.

The union was set up with a group of employees at Casa Leone home for the elderly. They too were members of the GWU.

The national orchestra musicians have forwarded their resignation to GWU secretary general Tony Zarb and Michael Parnis, the deputy secretary general who has been running the section since Mr Vella's resignation.

A copy of the resignation was also sent to the director of Labour and Industrial Relations, Noel Vella.

Mr Vella said he had asked the chairman of the national orchestra to grant his union sole recognition to carry out negotiations on behalf of the musicians.

As the PSEU statute stipulates that each member has to be registered with the trade unions registrar, a copy of each membership form was sent to the registrar.

The musicians are the latest in a growing series of defections from the GWU who apart from Casa Leone workers include port workers, tally clerks and port workers' formen who have joined other unions or who have formed their own. A number of senior officials have either left or been fired.