New lawyer replaces President-in-Waiting in GWU case

The case filed by Josephine Attard Sultana against the General Workers' Union was put off yesterday to allow a new lawyer to take over from her former counsel, President-in-Waiting George Abela.

Ms Attard Sultana, former secretary of the GWU's public sector section, is seeking damages after she was fired from her post on August 8, 2006 together with section president Frans Buttigieg.

The last hearing took place on October 3 and since then Dr Abela has been nominated as the next President of the Republic. He was yesterday replaced by Andrew Borg Cardona in a formal procedure that took place instead of the hearing of witnesses. Tony Zarb, the union leader, was meant to testify yesterday.

In the last sitting, GWU deputy general secretary Geitu Mercieca accused Ms Attard Sultana of scaring away about 500 members from the union because of the way she used to treat them.

He said it had been the union administration, made up of Mr Zarb, himself, former union president Salv Sammut, vice president Helen Mallia and Michael Parnis, that had decided that Ms Attard Sultana should be fired.

Lawyers Aaron Mifsud Bonnici and Philip Galea Farrugia are representing the union.