Freeport willing to discuss solution to union membership issue if GWU withdraws action

The Freeport is willing to discuss a solution to the current issue between the General Workers’ Union and the Malta Dockers’ Union over who has majority representation of licensed port workers if the GWU withdrew its go slow directive.

The GWU and the MDU have been fighting over the matter for the past weeks and the GWU has refused to accept the result of a verification exercise carried out by the Employment and Industrial Relations director that the MDU enjoyed majority representation, holding instead a secret ballot which gave it a 53 percent majority support.

Addressing a dialogue meeting this morning, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi criticised the GWU for its behaviour on the issue and for not accepting the result of the director of Industrial Relations and Employment’s verification exercise.

The GWU had accepted this exercise at the Freeport in 2002, 2006 and 2007 and at another place of work last February.

Why was it not accepting such an exercise now, on the eve of the EP election and in the current economic situation, he asked.

PN EP candidate Vince Farrugia noted when speaking later that the GWU were doing this "to spite (President) George Abela".

Dr Gonzi criticised the union’s newspaper for publishing the names of Freeport managers and their addresses and for attacking the Employment and Industrial Relations director.

The Prime Minister said that the government expected the support of everyone against those who threatened jobs and the country’s competitiveness putting the livelihood of hundreds in danger.

So when someone said they were wanted to boycott CMA CGM which operated the Freeport, he expected all the country to unite and speak against such action.

This was especially when the Freeport did not have anything to do with the issue between the GWU and the MDU.