The secretary general of the General Workers' Union, Tony Zarb insisted yesterday that a senior union official had been sacked two years ago because she did not comply with a council directive to meet with the central administration.
Mr Zarb was testifying before an industrial tribunal in a case initiated by Josephine Attard Sultana, a former secretary of the GWU's public services' section, who insists that her dismissal was abusive and is holding Mr Zarb and his deputy, Geitu Mercieca, among other officials, responsible for damages.
When asked by lawyer Andrew Borg Cardona why Ms Attard Sultana had been sacked, Mr Zarb replied that one of the reasons was that she did not comply with a council directive to meet with the administration.
But the lawyer insisted he wanted to know what exactly had Ms Attard Sultana been accused of and Mr Zarb said it had been "because the council felt it was in the best interest of the union".
On further insistence by Dr Borg Cardona, Mr Zarb simply reiterated: "Because it was in the interest of the union".
The sitting had to be postponed to allow Mr Zarb to get more details. He testified yesterday after a number of scheduled sessions had to be put off because he had been unable to attend.
The decision to fire Ms Attard Sultana had been taken by the union's national council on August 8, 2007, Mr Zarb said before his testimony was postponed.
Dr Borg Cardona asked whether her dismissal occurred even after the civil court had issued a warrant of prohibitory injunction against the section's delegates barring them from meeting to discuss her dismissal.
It was the section delegates who had been stopped from holding an extraordinary general meeting but the council was not barred from discussing her removal, Mr Zarb noted. The council, he insisted, had the power to remove anyone from their post.
Asked whether Ms Attard Sultana had attended the meeting where her employment was discussed, Mr Zarb said she was, adding that the accusations had been listed and she had been given the chance to respond.
However, when asked three times by Dr Borg Cardona why exactly she was fired, Mr Zarb replied that "it was in the interest of the union".
He said the decision had been made after the GWU council had heard all parties involved and in view of the fact that it had been her section's delegates who had asked for a general extraordinary meeting regarding her removal.
Mr Zarb was unable to give details about Ms Attard Sultana's employment, such as who paid her salary, and was not wholly sure either who was human resources director at the time.
He said did not have the relevant details with him and needed to check them before testifying again, adding that the HR manager would be able to say more.
Lawyers Aaron Mifsud Bonnici and Philip Galea Farrugia are representing the union.