Malta Shipyards Ltd yesterday filed a counter protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court to deny allegations by the General Workers' Union that its employees were at risk of asbestos poisoning.

The union had filed a protest against the company holding it responsible in damages in the event that any employees became ill due to exposure to asbestos.

Malta Shipyards, however, yesterday categorically denied that its employees were at risk. The company said it had the well-being of its employees at heart and that it had established procedures to control their health and safety. These procedures were regularly discussed at the central safety committee set up by the company and on which the union sat.

Malta Shipyards said that whenever work involved asbestos it engaged a specialised external contractor to carry it out. It was due to the company's tight controls that it was discovered last February that certain materials provided by a local contractor and supposed to be asbestos free in fact contained traces of asbestos.

Malta Shipyards had sent the materials back even though it did not release asbestos fibres into the atmosphere.

Malta Shipyards concluded its protest by formally denying the union's claims.

Lawyer Pawlu Lia signed the counter-protest.