Industrial dispute at shipyards

'Illegal stoppages' mean dismissal, minister warns Public Investments Minister Austin Gatt warned yesterday that shipyard workers who take part in "illegal stoppages" would be sacked.

He issued the warning in the wake of an industrial dispute registered by the General Workers' Union.

Seven shipyard workers are facing disciplinary action after they were allegedly caught asleep during the night shift two weeks ago. They had been immediately suspended by the management and are receiving half their pay until the shipyards' disciplinary board hears the case.

During a press conference called hastily by the ministry yesterday evening, Dr Gatt said 50 workers had stopped work in the morning and assembled outside the human resources executive's office.

A large group of workers also gathered in the same spot during the break.

Dr Gatt warned that if such stoppages happen again, workers would be identified and sacked instantly.

"It should be clear to hot-headed workers that they are no longer owed a living," the minister said, adding that taxpayers had had enough paying for the shipyards, which had been given Lm300 million in subsidies till 2003 and another Lm113 million for restructuring.

Shipyards chairman John Cassar White said the GWU's metal and construction section had informed the human resources executive through Sammy Meilaq - a member of its executive - that unless the suspended workers are not allowed to return to work on Monday, the union would escalate actions.

Insisting that the management had acted according to the collective agreement in suspending workers, Mr Cassar White said that, as a result of what had happened, a visit by Noel Kinsella, Speaker of the Canadian Senate, scheduled for 3 p.m. yesterday, had to be cancelled.

Dr Gatt said the government would not tolerate "1970s' and 1980s' style" threats.

Asked if workers had previously been caught sleeping on duty, Dr Gatt said he would not go into the merits of the case. The point was that rules had to be respected, he said, insisting that discipline was being applied across the board.

When pressed, he would not say whether the government would go as far as shutting the shipyards down if the union escalates actions on Monday. "We will respond to the actions accordingly," Dr Gatt said.

The secretary of the GWU's metal and construction section, Charles Agius, told The Times the union had informed the management by e-mail in the afternoon it disagreed with its decision to suspend workers.

Mr Agius said the seven workers had been accused of breaching a clause that contemplated disciplinary procedures, but suspension from work was not one of them. This was why the union had registered an industrial dispute.

He preferred not to discuss the merits of the case once it was before the disciplinary board, insisting that a number of actions would be in place by Monday if the seven workers were not allowed to return to work.

"We are not saying they should not appear before the disciplinary board, but they should not have been suspended," Mr Agius said.

Reacting to Dr Gatt's comments, he said the "arrogant" minister did not lose a single opportunity to hit at the GWU.

"Unlike the picture Dr Gatt tried to paint, the workers' stoppage was a peaceful walk that lasted about 10 minutes. They left their workplace and walked to the human resources executive's office in a show of solidarity with the workers who have been suspended.

"There were neither threats nor heckling, and the workers returned to their jobs after they were addressed by the union officials," Mr Agius said.

On a claim that Mr Meilaq had "threatened" the human resources executive of action at the yards, Mr Agius said: "Don't take what I say for granted. Ask the shipyards' executives and they will tell you whether Mr Meilaq's contribution in discussions with the management on how we could improve the shipyards is positive and constructive, or whether his attitude is destructive as the minister is saying".