No letup in GWU-Freeport dispute

Jeremy J Camilleri

Apr 15th 2009, 17:44

D Zammit...selective hearing, or in this case, reading seems to be a problem in your case.

The Director of Labour has, in the past REFUSED to verify recognition through Union records.

Why is this fact so hard to digest? How many times do I need to repeat this FACT?

D. Zammit

Apr 15th 2009, 13:07

To Michael Parnis et noe

Repeating once again, a union must prove that the members in subject are fully paid up members for this year far before the matter on recognition started.

Everyone presumes that had the GWU have these workers with FULLY PAID UP MEMBERSHIP cards, every one even the foreign solidarity unions would have known through a front page issue on the union's daily newspapers. SO no news, means no memberships.

With the above in mind, the GWU must thank the Nationalist Party in Government in the late 1980s who removed the Labour's so called Foreign Interference Act as all their foreign friends could have ended up in court, jail or expelled as Persone Non Grate. We now live in better times so GWU, please update your methods.

mike pace

Apr 15th 2009, 12:53

Looks like we are back in the dark ages in this country of ours - you cannot speak for your rights back by your union because you be suspended - remember the Thatcher era in U.K.were special forces used to sent for the union leaders and that what we are going to have again in this democratic island of dreams.

Michael Parnis

Apr 15th 2009, 09:22

Yes the dispute is between the GWU and Malta Freeport, for refusing to give sole recognition when it was proven, by an independent legal firm (after a secret ballot) that GWU enjoys support of 53% of all licenced port workers. GWU issued directives after officialy registering a trade dispute which is legal. Malta Freeport issued a Garnishee order of 1 million Euro against the GWU so we have to fight back. All tears about international solidarity to support the GWU are all invain. This is what international solidarity is about. The whole problem would have never come up if the Director of labour organised a secret ballot instead of a verification process were some workers were asked to give their preference in front of two persons. No official results were issued and no numbers given. GWU will continue to do its utmost to defend its members and safe guard industrial democracy in Malta.

Charles J. Buttigieg

Apr 15th 2009, 08:23

@ Noel Barry

Hi Noel, trust you’re fine.

The way I see it there exists a clear industrial dispute. The Freeport Management gave official recognition to a union which the GWU considered that it does not represent the majority of the workers. That constitutes a dispute.

Whether the GWU should have ordered the action is another story, personally I think that the strike aggravated the situation.

EDGAR PRECA

Apr 15th 2009, 07:46

What is next? Not even a legitimate action can now be taken to protect the workers. What a shame. Is this a new democracy we are preaching in this country? I remember very well way back when industrial action was taken because the punch clock was introduced at the TeleMalta and one particular union supported by the PN almost brought down the government to its knees with industrial action flourishing all over the country. Well down GWU !

Bernice Bruno

Apr 15th 2009, 05:49

Nahseb li wasal zmien li ssir bidla f'dawk li jmexxu fil-GWU qabel ma jkun tard wisq.

Byron Camilleri

Apr 15th 2009, 01:07

nmifsud, just take a look at the case Freeport vs. UHM 1997.

Jeremy J Camilleri

Apr 14th 2009, 23:11

DOes anyone remember, way back in 1997, the Ghaqda Haddiema Nazzjonalisti expressing solidarity with the workers during a strike?

ANy of you who are bothered with a political party's intervention got anything to say?

Thought not....talk about a one track mind!

Noel Barry..It is a management preroagative to grant recognition, so if a Union feels it has the majority of workers, and the management refuse to recognise this, then yes, there is a dispute between management and union...very simple.

Silvan Cutajar

Apr 14th 2009, 23:10

Noel Barry & nmifsud - A trade dispute exists ALSO on the granting of recognition. Recognition is granted by an employer. Failure to grant recognition is also a trade dispute. Vide Employment & Industrial Relations Act. Thus there is an industrial dispute between GWU and Freeport.

p.grima

Apr 14th 2009, 22:27

This is adding insult to injury. (as usual)
There is no dispute between the Freeport and the GWU, so the industrial actions cannot be legitimate.

How can the GWU boast of being the biggest union if it can't prove it?
Where are your books GWU?
Why don't you put all the cards on the table?
Maybe the GWU is afraid of scrutiny on its records.

jesmond zammit

Apr 14th 2009, 21:51

il pjan ikompli .l ewwel neqirdu t tarzna umbaghad il gwu. kollox premeditat .

Dennis Zammit

Apr 14th 2009, 21:35

Once again the GWU must understand that to have recognition by an organization, it must have the majority of the workers on her updated books with this current year's membership fully paid. This is not the case this time and therefore, dear Tony Zarb and friends, it is about time that the country tells you 'Ishsha daqsh hekk'.

And now, every one is calling on the Police Commissioner as if the police should waste their time on this recognition matter instead of chasing thieves and drug dealers.

With regards the unions rights, the GWU and its followers never look at the third party rights. Where was the GWU and Mr Ishsha Daqsh Hekk when previous Labour Governments ran over human rights and workers' rights. We never heard their voice so why now? Why can't an organization defend its self from illegal strikes?

WHY??

Joe Cassar

Apr 14th 2009, 21:04

@ Mr Noel Barry

The Freeport decided to go ahead and recognise the MDU even though it knew that the majority representation was, at best, in dispute. So there definitly is a dispute between the Freeport and the GWU.

If the Freeport genuinely wanted to avoid trouble if should have witheld recognition to both unions until the dispute was settled.

eddie bonello

Apr 14th 2009, 21:03

Why is the PL being mentioned in this issue as if the PL was behind this story. And what is all this fuss about the GWU leaning to the PL.
We now have the Director General of the GRTU (a union as is the GWU, for those of you who may have forgot) presenting himself as a PN candidate in the June elections and besides that he is on record as urging the people to change sides and embrace the PN. No comment from you PN apologists? Or is this OK for you but God forbid if this happened the other way round?

And what's wrong in the PL's statement urging BOTH sides to resolve the current issue.

Grow up and call a spade a spade.

T Abela

Apr 14th 2009, 20:53

@mmifsud.
Mhux haddiema tax xatt hemm jahdmu l-freeport. Issa gejna tajjeb. Wara sigha go slow il freeport qal li sofra danni ta miljun euro. Issa jghidulna fil qorti min fejn gabu il figuri. U Jekk tobdi ordni LEGITTIMA tal union tieghek tispicca sospiz. Tlifna giehna u tlifna l boxxla. X'arroganza

Noel Barry

Apr 14th 2009, 20:11

Can anyone who has posted here tell me if there is a dispute between Freeport and GWU. As far as I know this is all about recognition so why strike against the Freeport.

nmifsud

Apr 14th 2009, 19:50

X'igiefiri il-GWU tordna lil haddiema jahdmu bil "go slow" meta il Free Port ma kellux x'jaqsam ma din il kwisjoni. Il free port ghamel xi haga sew li issospenda lil min hadem bil "go slow". il kwisjoni kienet min ghandu jiraprezenta lil haddiema tax xatt igifieri bejn il GWU u MDU. Kulhadd jaf li il GWU qed tispicca bla nies u issa qed tara min fejn se gibhom.

R Agius

Apr 14th 2009, 19:43

The problem with the GWU is that it is totally partisan in its 'industrial relations'. Between 96 and 98 they were nowhere to be seen. Same applied pre-87 - just ask the bank employees, C&W employees, doctors, teachers, architects etc etc. Fact is the GWU is a political animal aligned to the PL and as a result it cannot be taken seriously as there is always a political agenda to its actions - always.

J Busuttil

Apr 14th 2009, 19:33

If the shop steward of GWU was suspended for taking part in industrial action ordered by GWU it seems that the MAJORITY of port workers are not obeying the GWU. So the GWU must stop its actions and not sacrifice it's members. On it's part the PL must have appealed to the GWU to stop on this issue because it has not the peoples' support.

G .Mangion

Apr 14th 2009, 19:21

What a new Bidu Gdid, the mlp /pl still protecting the gwu , Yes no Change !
well everybody knows the gwu is the preferred One to the mlp / lp party, what spokesman Anglu Farrugia should have urged is, GWU STOP BEING NEGATIVE TO EVERYTHING !! After all the Freeport had already suffered €1 million in damages as a result of the industrial action ordered by the GWU.
and it is We the whole Nation, that can suffer from this arrogance.....

Jon Sant

Apr 14th 2009, 18:59

@ Giov DeMartino

There was a time when women did not have the right to vote! Let's live the present and not the past! The actions of the Malta Freeport are a threat to Industrial Democracy and has placed Malta with the likes of Chile when they were ruled by Pinochet!

Franco Farrugia

Apr 14th 2009, 18:52

Dear Mr Mike Pace,
I am all out in favour of workers' rights being protected but all within the law, no?
In this case, it makes no sense having a political party trying, feebly, to defend the interests of a union that is being accused of having acted in error.
Or, does it?
Let the workers be defended by the union that has the right and the obligation to do so and not by the union that thinks that it has that right.
At least, that is how I am understanding matters. If I am in error, please enlighten me.
Don't you agree that if an entity harms another entity, it should face the consequences?
Is the GWU the 'right union'? I wonder.
There was a time when you should have said the very same things ... years ago, when the GWU worked in tandem with a Labour Government and never spoke for the interests of the workers!

eddie bonello

Apr 14th 2009, 18:43

Shame Shame Shame..

Now we have come to the point where wokers are being suspended for obeying legitimate Union directives. Where is all this leading to???

Where are the other Unions (apart from the FORUM)? Don't they realise that others may follow the FreePort way of doing or was this only intended to demorolise GWU members and deal a death blow to the GWU??

Workers stand up for your rights.

Franco Farrugia

Apr 14th 2009, 18:38

Malta's trade unions must stop allowing themselves to be patronised by the two political parties.
In this respect, the PL should STOP protecting and patronising the GWU and allow this trade union to face up to the consequences of its actions.
The same should obviously be said for other unions. For instance, I cannot understand how a trade union official is allowed to contest elections under the banner of a political party and allowed to continue working within that same union.
In this light, it does not make sense for Anglu Farrugia to ask the Freeport to 'show good will'. Let the Courts or other entitites, do their work, now. And let them have their say, not a political party.

GiovDeMartino

Apr 14th 2009, 18:06

There was a time when workers were ordered to declare in writing that thay would not obey the union's directives. Those who did not sign the declaration WERE LOCKED OUT. I've still got that declaration for future reference. Needless to say it is UNSIGNED.

mike pace

Apr 14th 2009, 18:02

Lets give our support to the right union who looks after the safety of the real common citizens and the low income earners and the truly workers interest and the right union is G.W.U.
Be united we stand for our struggle battles for the future.