Matthew Xuereb
Ex-MUMN officials in drive to change union leadership
Eight former council members of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses will be raising a petition to hold an extraordinary general meeting to change the union's leadership.
Former union vice-president Tommy Dimech, who is leading the group, said many union members were unhappy with how the MUMN was being led and they were calling on president Paul Pace and general secretary Colin Galea to resign.
In the meantime, the group will be collecting signatures from the union's members to call an extraordinary general conference when they plan to move a motion of no confidence in the union leadership. In terms of the statute, such a meeting can be called if the petition is signed by 25 per cent of the paid-up membership.
At a press conference yesterday, council member Corinne Ward and former assistant general secretary Ray Chetcuti, the latest two council members to resign from the MUMN council, explained why they left the union.
Ms Ward listed lack of democracy and lack of information as the two main reasons why she had resigned.
She said Mr Pace and Mr Galea were not informing the council about important matters, primarily the purchase of the union's new office in Mosta and the recent directives to midwives and nurses over disagreement on the new collective agreement.
She said the directives were not even discussed at council level before they were issued.
Mr Chetcuti said his resignation had nothing to do with the removal of former MUMN president Rudolph Cini from his position as the union's honorary president.
Mr Dimech said that whatever the ex-council members were doing was for the sake of strengthening the MUMN and restoring its credibility. He said they had more information of people who wanted to resign from the MUMN but said more details will be made public in the near future.
Contacted, Mr Pace said that, as a democratic organisation, the MUMN will be replacing the council members who resigned so that it can continue with its work. He said nobody will muzzle the union.
He said the former council members who addressed the press conference had "a hidden agenda".
Mr Pace said the internal problems at MUMN and the Malta Union of Teachers were connected to their opposition to the water and electricity tariffs.
"The MUMN is a dynamic, pro-active union that is greatly involved in the establishment of standards of care.
"My loyalty is not to a small group of people with a hidden agenda but to the union's 2,500 members."
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A. Azzopardi
Dec 15th 2008, 00:30
Believe me but these eight former council members of MUMN managed to confuse me. I dunno what they did to you? Godness Gracious how many issues they have!!! I'm sure that with all these shortcomings happening to them during their course of Union life they can write an eight chaptered book 'Our life- full of treasured Agendas'. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE NAMED "HIDDEN AGENDAS". Thanks GOD I'm not a nurse. No REGRETS ... I would have said No thank you for the petition!
O.Aquilina
Dec 13th 2008, 08:47
What a pity... this looks like a tantrum. Did they take away their toys (MUMN leadership).
lgalea
Dec 12th 2008, 08:36
MUMB beware of fifth columnists subservient to Gonzipn
Manuel Mangani
Dec 11th 2008, 18:18
@ John Saliba: Passive resistance, refusal to do administrative ( but not clinical!) work, non-violent protests and demonstrations likely to draw media attention etc There would have to be cross-professional solidarity. The whole idea of how to conduct industrial strife within the context of caring professional work would have to be re-thought.
John Saliba
Dec 11th 2008, 15:35
@Manuel Mangani
Would be nice if u were able to substantiate with ideas what your "other ways of embarrassing the authorities, and making life difficult for them" are. In the present scenario, it might take more then this to embarrass the government cause neither the irresponsible actions of some of the gov's cabinet nor the masses that protested peacefully seem to have scratched its surface. This is Malta, were it some other EU country, similar failures would have seen ministers and most probably even government presenting their resignation.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Dec 11th 2008, 14:36
It is obvious that this is a brilliant Trojan horse scenario.
The point is simple.
FOr all those attacking previous MUMN directives.
Where the directives ordered by the MUMN legal? If yes, there is no argument here.
As for the issue at hand, this all started soon after an x union official declared that he would be running for MEP under the party in Government's banner.
The attacks against MUMN officials soon followe his press release.
From then onwards, it all seemed like little pieces in a blue jig saw puzzle.
In reality, the only thing that Colin Galea and Paul Pace are guilty of, are standing up for their members in a dispute with their employee.
The fact that the employee is the Government, obviously irked people like Rudolph CIni.
The others are just trying to jump onto the bandwagon. It is rather predicatable really.
As predictable as the usual Pro Pn commentators, who are attacking MUMN leadership when they are neither nurses, nor have any experience concerning trade unionism.
Manuel Mangani
Dec 11th 2008, 14:32
I am not a nurse, but like nurses, I am proud to be a member of caring profession. I too have had to face the quandary of what to do when your Union orders industrial action which you believe will harm clients, who are innocent parties. So far I have refused to take part in similar actions - and, on balance I believe I was being more loyal to my profession by not taking part in industrial action, rather by limiting/withdrwing my service to clients.
The whole point, as I see it, is that caring professionals ( be they social workers, nurses, doctors or whatever), rather than resort to industrial action which has a direct negative effect on those we are supposed to help, must find other ways of making the point that we are unhappy about conditions of work. There are other ways of embarrassing the authorities, and making life difficult for them, rather than for clients and patients.
When such disputes arise, caring professionals' unions should band together and find ways of supporting each other without having to resort to action which harms those we are conscience-bound to assist.
G GAUCI
Dec 11th 2008, 13:33
a cmicallef
I''m sure you didn't attend the rally and you're just babbling what suits you best. I attended the rally and the directive you mentioned was "No one to administer drug if the nurse is on it's own'- why so much fuss??? DURING MY NURSING STUDIES I learned that in order to administer treatment there should be 2 qualified staff? If you ARE A NURSE and administer treatment WITHOUT DOUBLE CHECKING IT, I ADVISE YOU TO BETTER CHECK THAT YOU"RE WORKING SAFELY'.
STATE OF FACTS: Do people know that before the previous council election, Mr CINi was canvasing one of the blue eyes ? Why? Is this democracy? Is this not orchestration? Was that convenient?
As regards the agreement: 'was not a "storic"- it was GONZI PN WHO said it is! If you are a nurse i think you GAINED SOEMTHING.. mhux hekk jew irrifjutat xi punt minnu?
I can't understand how come that somoene join a club and keep paying its membership eventhough they are not happy with the service! I can't believe that there are so much PASSIVE NURSES.
P.Schembri
Dec 11th 2008, 13:13
@S Vella. Quite right you smell a rat. Free publicity for an MEP candidate to appear as a white knight coming to the rescue. And from your own words, this is in your own mind, political. If the UHM and CMTU (are these rats too) have agree about the tariffs, who have a right to do what they please, why not the MUMN HAS TO AGREE TOO. Facts are coming out now that the government has cheated with the numbers, so that we all end up at the receiving end. If it were not for the MUMN and the other Unions, we would be already paying the tariffs through our nose!
Mario Bonnici
Dec 11th 2008, 12:43
So the MUMN ,like other unions stands firm regarding certain issues and these ex officilas criticise it's leaders for doing so. Unions are there to defend the workers. If these ex officials are not happy it's their problem.
Or maybe for them their beloved political party comes first??
S Vella
Dec 11th 2008, 11:53
Dear Paul and Colin.
Please resign. Many of us are not happy with the current Union administration.
This is not something political as some people are trying to imply. Red, blue or green political games are not involved here.
In the interest of the members, please resign. If you think that you are right ,then contest again, and the members will decide who to elect. If you two have nothing to hide, then the members will vote again for you.
What I find strange is that while the same person you are accusing of being political, the ex president did not participate in the protest that the then UHM organised during the Labour administration. During that time, the MUMN admistration decided to not participate. This time, Alla jbierek, we were the ones to participate with the GWU.
I smell a rat!
John Saliba
Dec 11th 2008, 11:40
I want to first of all state that I am not a nurse, however I do appreciate the issues that the MUMN has long been pointing to gov. Especially that related to the feet dragging in employing new nurses. I cannot not point out to c.micallef et al that likewise commented on the fact that some of actions declared by the union hit badly the patients. I am sure that this was not the scope of the union, it is what we call collateral damage. Not that I approve of it, but I think that any action taken by nurses in some way or other will impact the patients. It is unavoidable. What ppl do not mention in all this is the serious responsibility that the gov has to burden and which more often then not (at least recently) it doesn't, leading to such unwanted situations.
A Bezzina
Dec 11th 2008, 09:59
@cmicallef
I think that you are not a nurse that used to work the extra day for nothing and this union has achieved to remove it for us? And another small thing there were new contestors that achieved a good number of votes eventhough they were new , i do not think that nurses are going to listen to someone that send an sms everyone vote to whom they though that they do a change in the union.
cmicallef
Dec 11th 2008, 09:50
First and foremost, MUMN has managed to taint the public perception of the nursing profession especially when MrPace issued directives to nurses in Boffa and renal nurses not to work the oncall.
Since everything in this sad country has to be categorised as red or blue, one is then blinded to the arrogance of the named people. Do people know that before the previous council election, one of the duo circulated smses urging people not to vote for certain new contestors? Why? Is this democracy? Is this not orchestration? It is convenient to have YES people around you.
And the agreement was not a "storic" as people would like to believe?
I am grateful for this group of nurses who are giving us a voice. I will most definitely sign, and like me there are many others. Many will be surprised how many nurses are actually unhappy with the MUMN. This is the only option before withdrawing my MUMN membership.
R Azzopardi
Dec 11th 2008, 09:43
We are playing like infants and toddlers here, if Mr Dimech have the information of people that they want to resign why he is not going to tell us so the nurses maybe will start to believe him or the former council is going to start threating the MUMN and its members. Keep up the good job your doing Paul and the whole council cause at this moment of attack you have to be strong and united as you are.