Whistleblower captain says PM had been informed

In a bid to defend itself, Gozo Channel Co. resorted to character assassination rather than bring out the truth, a ferry captain charged yesterday.

Replying to a counter protest by the company, Capt. Mario Grech said Gozo Channel was more interested in discrediting him than tackling his complaints. In fact, they had never reacted to them even when he had filed a similar protest in April 2009, a copy of which had been sent to the Prime Minister.

In a judicial protest last week, Capt. Grech made a number of claims about serious safety breaches on the part of the company.

He said he had stopped three ferries from operating the crossing for safety reasons.

Gozo Channel insisted the claims were unfounded and warned of further legal action against him.

Capt. Grech said the Prime Minister had informed him that his complaint would be forwarded to the Finance Minister but he had heard nothing since. It was clear that Gozo Channel did not have the service it offered at heart because it only addressed his complaints when these were made public, he said.

After he had filed his first judicial protest, Gozo Channel substituted a person he suspected was not qualified for the job and also issued instructions to hold the necessary emergency drills, he said. Capt. Grech said he still had not been officially informed about the inquiry ordered by the Finance Minister after his judicial protest last week and hoped this would be held by an independent board with experience in the maritime industry.

Capt. Grech, who, after his second judicial protest, was asked not to report for work while still being paid in full, condemned his employer's "dictatorial attitude", which, he added, was irresponsible and revealed its intolerance to criticism and the truth.