GWU shipyards proposal

I suppose the government could come up with enough projects to keep the dockyard busy - even if it means digging holes and filling them back in!

But how do we get round the EU's requirement of "no state subsidy after 2008", unless such projects are grossly overpriced? Anyway, I doubt that this would fool anyone.

All ideas to provide other work to the dockyard are worthless. This unless the GWU once and for all decides that the dockyards are a commercial enterprise and not a charitable institution for the employees and the union's own sake. Ever since the 8 month strike in the late sixties the Union has always defended its own interests at the yard and never agreed to real restructuring. People should be reminded that on that occasion the proposals for the collective agreement had a very hefty wage increase tied to a certain amount of flexibility. This the union refused outright. With the change in government of 1971 all the workers got were extremely tough times and being named in very atrocious terms by the person they helped elect to power to obtain according to the GWU a much better deal. Sic transit gloria mundi.

The shipyards must be saved at all costs.

This does not mean that they are to remain a liability on the Maltese taxpayers.

I have already indicated in response to another item how the shipyards could be given work to construct and maintain a Malta-Gozo bridge including the installation of wind turbines on the bridge while saving Gozo from further rape.

Further work could be given to the shipyards as indicated by your correspondents.

The Government should do everything to save the Shipyards, except more subsidies. We have paid too much now.

How is the goverment to consult the taxpayer? Does this mean we will have some form of referendum over whether to close the Shipyards or not?

I remember back in the1960s when the Suez Canal was closed after the Six Day War and the Med was virtually turned into a lake, the situation at the Drydocks was alleviated by giving the workforce the opportunity to construct steel factory roofs to make up for the drop in shiprepairing activities. Can't the same thing be done this time by restructuring the yard and deploying the workforce or a part of it on the construction of wind turbines for the production of electricity? With some training the Drydocks workers would be perfectly capable of carrying out these works given their skill, knowhow and experience.. I have no doubt that funds from Malta's EU allocation could be utilised for such works if a good case is made. Besides saving the Drydocks from a shameful demise, and guaranteeing employment at the yards, Malta would benefit from the harnessing of renewable wind energy which we possess in plenty and be able to cut down on the use of fossil fuels. A steering committee composed of Drydocks, government and GWU members could be set up for this purpose. If the parties work together I see no reason why the plan would not succeed.