MDU rejects GWU decision to poll port workers

The General Workers' Union and the Malta Dockers' Union remain entangled in a tug of war for recognition as the port workers' representative, with the former holding a secret ballot tomorrow that the latter said it would not respect.

Rather than relying on the number of paid-up members, the GWU has decided to ask port workers to decide which union they wanted to represent them.

The MDU insisted it would not respect the vote as it went beyond the remits of the employment and industrial relations law. It said it had placed its records at the disposal of the Director of Employment and Industrial Relations who could check for himself how many port workers were its members and how many belonged to the GWU.

The MDU yesterday insisted it had 327 paid-up members out of the 370 licensed port workers, making it the sole union eligible to negotiate on their behalf. It said the secret vote being organised by the GWU was "irregular" and it turned down the GWU's invitation for one of its members to follow the voting process.

The GWU said the MDU did not want a secret vote because it was panicking realising it did not represent the majority of workers. Over the past few weeks, both the Malta Maritime Authority and Malta Freeport Terminals turned down the GWU's request for recognition as the workers' representative.

Two years ago the port workers left the GWU to form the Malta Dockers' Union.