Labour says way forward should be 'pacific discussion'
Government always open for talks
MLP leader Joseph Muscat and deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia attending the GWU meeting on Wednesday. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi
Just a day after the General Workers' Union upped its tone on the shipyards' dispute, sounding warnings of street protests, the Labour Party yesterday insisted in a statement that the only way forward was through "discussion and pacific initiatives".
"The way forward for the privatisation is around a table of discussions both in the interest of workers and of taxpayers, who forked out millions for this company," the MLP said. "The only way forward is through discussion and pacific initiatives."
The statement comes in the wake of warnings by the GWU's general secretary Tony Zarb in a public meeting with shipyard workers on Wednesday that Castille belongs to the Prime Minister but the streets to the union.
More acerbically, section secretary Sammy Meilaq said workers were prepared to topple the government (nisfrundawk) if they did not get what they were asking for.
The Labour leader Joseph Muscat, along with his deputy Anġlu Farrugia were present for the meeting, leading the Nationalist press to interpret their presence as a sign that the party was against the yards' privatisation. But the party pointed out in its statement that this was a non-issue as Dr Muscat had stressed countless times in the past weeks that the party was for privatisation. "Instead of allowing these sort of lies, Lawrence Gonzi should have the courage and explain why just six months ago, before the general election, he put the minds of 'yard workers at rest regarding their employment without telling them that there would be cuts in the workforce," the statement said.
On this point, however, the government said it had never lied to the workers, stressing that it had been highlighting all along the EU's December 31 deadline until which date the government will be able to subsidise the yards.
In a statement, the government also said that downsizing means laying off workers and not reducing the workforce through voluntary schemes, as is being proposed now.
It condemned the union's attitude, criticising it for seeking confrontation when the government was constantly open to dialogue. The government questioned the premise behind the union's protest, pointing out that the government always talked with the union, whenever a meeting was requested. The last meeting with Finance Minister Tonio Fenech, it pointed out, took place just two hours after the union had asked for it.
But the Labour party also aligned itself to one of the union's primary arguments in asking why the government was insisting on downsizing the workforce before finding out what the prospective bidders wanted in terms of the amount of workers and specific skills.
By being so obstinate the government could jeopardise the privatisation process itself, the party said, arguing that it would be better for bidders to be allowed to make that choice themselves.
Here too, however, the government insisted on its position, saying that downsizing the workforce before the actual privatisation process starts was indispensible to safeguard the workers' rights.
The Finance Ministry has been arguing that no company would be interested in buying the yards with the present workforce. Moreover, closing the early retirement schemes closer to the December 31 deadline could be too late for the workforce to be reduced to suit the needs of prospective buyers.
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Jeremy J Camilleri
Aug 15th 2008, 15:55
Rachel--
The workers have been told that if they do not accept the resignation schems, they might be fired...Thats the whole reason behind the issue.....
Why is it that Private entities make more money?does that mean that the government is inadequate? Does that mean that the Government is to blame for the losses? Did the Government and the present management do their utmost to bring more work and make more money?
As for the private entities making money 0---well we've had enough private entities going bankrupt in the past couple of years...
Adrian Mizzi
Aug 15th 2008, 15:27
@Peter Paul Sapiano
One who works on the shipyards now & during the first Fairmount conversion will know that a vast number of manual workers working on the ships are Romanian and Bulgarian, and that a good number of management are employed from the UK. FACT! A large amount of the losses incurred by paying these employees accommodation, travel and expenses, thus costing US taxpayers more than the Maltese workers. Management employed from the UK who are friends of friends, are payed no less than 3 digits per hour, more than 4 times more than a Maltese manager.
Thus the government cannot force private investors to do what they have not done before, although they could try, they always find excuses to dismiss their bad judgment.
Having said this I challenge anyone who WORKS at the yard (and not people who only read the printed articles) to say that this is untrue!!!!
E.Zammit
Aug 15th 2008, 13:52
Dear Rachel
"The best support the MLP can give workers in this situation is to get GWU to desist from its militant stance" - i never knew that the GWU obey MLP.... and anyway militant stance just because they want to go out and protest. Seems like you havent been following the news in the past year... France, Germany Italy... it is a right for ppl to protest .
and i insist no violence is need.
Rachel Galea
Aug 15th 2008, 13:01
@ Enzo Caruana
1) When a company downsizes it lays off workers, not asks them to resign voluntarily against generous compensation
2) The governmnet knows that the best way to find more work of MDD is to privatise it as private enterprises usually do their unmost to make profits leading to more work and more money.
The above amply supports what Gonzi told MDD workers on the 10th February.
@ P. P Sapiano
I totally agree with a clause that the majority of the staff, say 80/85%, be Maltese
@E.Zammit
The best support the MLP can give workers in this situation is to get GWU to desist from its militant stance and insist that it contributes fully to the successful privatisation of MDD.
Unfortunatelyby attending the meeting MLP, AD and any other party only showed support for the GWU stance. If JM wanted to know word for word what was being said he should have sent a SuperOne newscrew to film the event and watched it quietly away from the public eye.
This was, as we say in Maltese, "pass falz' and a very grave one at that. So yes I agree with Jason Scerri.
Enzo Caruana
Aug 15th 2008, 10:33
@Jason Scerri
Your guess is completely off the mark if it was directed to Labour. If there is anyone who should embark on a damage control exercise it is the Prime Minister and the nationalist Party who let down very badly the yard workers.Let me remind you of some of the promises made to yard workers by by Gonzipn before the March elections:
On 10 February Prime Minister Gonzi told shipyard workers to put their minds at rest.
On 12 February Dr Gonzi said that there were no plans for downsizing in the shipyards.
On 27 February workers were assured that the government will work together with them to find more work.
Dr Gonzi even sent every shipyards worker a letter, to promise them that their employment at the shipyards had bright prospects, and urged them to vote for his Nationalist Party to work more, earn more, and pay less tax.
This exercise is nothing but selling off the yarad very cheaply at the expense of the workers. Shame!
E.Zammit
Aug 15th 2008, 10:13
Now who said that street protests cannot be done in peace huh?
Welcome to the new political season... just because Dr.Muscat decided to attend and listen to what GWU had to say, does that mean that he is against privatization ? No it only means that he is showing his concern publically for the shipyard workers.
Now come on, if its not the workers party, the mlp who would ever show interest in the workers situation ? So nationalists pls get this right and stop twisting words around: Labour are in favour of privatization but have the workers problem on their mind much more then you.
I also ask the government not to assume - cause he might make an *** out of me and you !!
Peter Paul Sapiano
Aug 15th 2008, 10:08
One thing which neither side have mentioned yet. Is there a condition that the new owners should employ only maltese workers or at least the greatest part? If not, these people can employ only a few dozens of maltese and import the rest from Bulgaria, Romania etc. Then the country will be in a worst position. We would be providing our land to foreigners to employ foreigners and making profit while our skilled workers will be on unemployment list. The best thing is for all sides to get together and with all humbleness have serious discussions how to save the workers' job. Otherwise if not, we will be regretting this deal for the next 30 years.
Jason Scerri
Aug 15th 2008, 09:15
Damage control, I guess