GWU claims asbestos roof poses danger to workers

The General Workers' Union yesterday registered, but then suspended temporarily, an industrial dispute with the Works Department over an asbestos roof it said was exposing workers in a Marsa garage to danger.

The dispute was suspended in the light of the fact that, yesterday morning, the department promised it would immediately commission another report on the roof's condition.

On its part, the GWU has suspended the industrial dispute until the report is ready.

According to a report two years ago, the asbestos roof was deteriorating and needed to be changed to remove any danger, the GWU's government and public entities section said in a statement yesterday.

Early last week, the section had given the garage management until last Friday to take concrete measures regarding the conditions of the roof. If no action was taken, it had said, it would order industrial action to protect the workers' health.

The section had long been complaining about the situation at the Marsa garage, it said. But despite the reports that suggested the asbestos panels be changed, the management had not taken any steps. The union was not prepared to wait "a long time" for the completion of the report, and intended to hold the garage management responsible for the harm the workers could suffer.