UPDATED - Government to issue dockyard retirement schemes on Monday

The government is going ahead with its plans to offer early retirement schemes for dockyard workers on Monday, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech announced this afternoon.

He said it was important that the schemes were issued now and the workforce was reduced because otherwise Malta Shipyards would not be attractive to potential investors interested in the privatisation process.

Mr Fenech made his comments after a meeting with the GWU ended abruptly in disagreement. He strongly criticised the GWU for having told the workers to hand over to it any retirement scheme applications, saying the union should desist from such intimidating tactics.

GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said earlier there had been disagreement on when the early retirement schemes should be issued.

The union is insisting they should not be issued before the new owners and their plans are known.

Mr Zarb said there was also no agreement on a guarantee of employment for those workers who did not take up the schemes.

He said the GWU would hold a meeting for the workers on Monday.

Mr Fenech insisted in other comments yesterday that the shipyard could only be attractive to investors if the workforce was first substantially reduced. He accused the GWU of being irresponsible when it told workers to send it any literature it received about the schemes. He also argued that the early retirement schemes were already a heavy financial burden on the people, and taxpayers could not be asked for more.

Mr Zarb told journalists this afternoon that a potential investor, Cala, had told the GWU some months ago it would actually be interested in increasing the workforce at Malta Shipyards.