Labour leader Joseph Muscat this afternoon urged the government to give dockyard workers the option to join IPSL - Industrial Projects and Services Ltd - if they did not take up the early retirement scheme.

Speaking before a meeting with the GWU leadership, Dr Muscat said the government had so far given the workers a Hobson's choice - accept the retirement schemes or the shipyard would be declared bankrupt.

In 2003, when the last restructuring of the shipyard was made, the workers could opt to stay at the dockyard, opt for early retirement or join IPSL - a government owned company, he pointed out.

The Labour leader said Malta Shipyards was in the current situation because of a lack of serious planning and a lack of accountability in the implementation of restructuring plans.

Furthermore, the government was not keeping its electoral promise not to downsize the shipyard.

Dr Muscat regretted that the government had not taken up the MLP suggestion for a common front on national issues such as this and the situation at ST Microelectronics.

He said that the MLP, as a representative of the workers and taxpayers, was demanding a reply to various questions, such as who was responsible for the losses made by the shipyard on a number of contracts, and why the shipyard had been engaging foreigners instead of Maltese.

An investigation was needed on the former. This, he said, was not intended to stall the privatisation process.

Dr Muscat also observed that the government was talking to two companies from Singapore and another from Norway which had shown an interest in the shipyard. At what level were the talks being held, once the call for expressions of interest had not been made yet? Was there a preferred bidder already?

And how was the government deciding how many workers the dockyard needed to shed before privatisation?

Dr Muscat complained of the lack of choice facing the dockyard workers and said other workers, such as at the freeport and Maltapost, had been treated more favourably.

Malta Shipyards was an important national asset and a Labour government would have tackled current problems differently. It felt that restructuring needed to form part of the harbour regeneration with strict deadlines for the creation of a new maritime industry.

The MLP, agreed with privatisation and joint ventures with the private sector using European best practice.

The MLP also felt that Malta needed a good medium and long term industrial policy and it was prepared to join the government in the drawing up of this policy. What it did not want was a situation where the government solved one problem and created 10, Dr Muscat said. The MLP wanted productive workers, not workers paid to retire.

The Labour leader urged the GWU to safeguard workers' interests while also being mindful of the national interest.

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