Josephine Attard Sultana, the former secretary of the General Workers' Union's public workers' section, explained how the union's appeal board did not allow her to see the minutes of the meeting that led to her dismissal.

"I felt deprived of my right to have a clear picture of what was said about me during that meeting," Ms Attard Sultana said.

She was testifying before Industrial Tribunal chairman Joseph Bonnici in a case she initiated against the GWU. She is asking the tribunal to declare that her dismissal from the union last year was abusive, illegal and without any legal basis.

She is also asking the tribunal to declare GWU general secretary Tony Zarb, his deputy Gejtu Mercieca and other union officials responsible for the damages she suffered as a result of her dismissal.

In a previous sitting Ms Attard Sultana had explained that on June 22, 2006, a petition was raised calling for an extraordinary general meeting for her section's delegates. The petition also called for her replacement.

In July 2006, Mr Zarb informed her that an extraordinary general meeting had been scheduled for August 7, 2006. Following the petition, the meeting had to determine whether or not she would keep her job.

Ms Attard Sultana argued that the petition did not conform to the union's statute because the required 40 per cent quota of the section's delegates had not been reached. This resulted from a report compiled by an ad hoc committee set up by section representatives on July 17 to scrutinise the petition. But, she added, Mr Zarb did not allow this committee to continue with its job.

Eventually, the central administration made the decision, in her absence, to convene the extraordinary general meeting on August 7.

With no other alternative, she took the case to court and, on August 3, the First Hall of the Civil Court upheld her request not to allow the extraordinary general meeting to go ahead. Then, on August 8, a meeting with the section delegates was called, even though no agenda had been drawn up. During this meeting, defined as an information meeting, a motion to sack her was moved and approved.

Ms Attard Sultana testified yesterday that after the meeting she decided to collect her belongings from her office. While she was in her office the receptionist passed her a phone call from Police Commissioner John Rizzo who asked her if she would be long. She explained to him that she had to pick up her belongings and he was understanding.

When she left her office she headed outside where there were a number of journalists waiting for her at the gate. She then noticed that there were a number of police officers walking towards the union offices. That was when the Police Commissioner phoned her again, this time on her mobile phone, to see if she was still inside the building. He told her that, if she needed anything, she could ask the inspector on site. He wanted to ensure she had left the building safely.

Ms Attard Sultana added that, according to the union's memorandum of understanding, she was to be warned before being dismissed but she never was.

She then appealed the August 8 decision but, even there she believed there were certain irregularities. To start with, she said, this was the first time that an appeal's board had actually been set up during a GWU's conference and the board was set up to tackle her case. Besides, she was not satisfied with the board members as some were involved in her section or had been in the past.

"I think they wanted specific people on the appeal board... that's my opinion," she said.

During the appeal she requested a copy of the minutes of the August 8 meeting but the union had refused to exhibit them. The board members then stepped out for a while, consulted with a lawyer and when they walked back into the room they decided that the minutes were not to be exhibited.

She said the appeal confirmed the original decision and then she took her case to the Industrial Tribunal.

Lawyers George Abela and Lydia Zerafa represented Ms Attard Sultana.

Lawyer Aron Mifsud Bonnici represented the union.

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