When a commercial company or an organisation feels it needs a boost, it often resorts to rebranding. The General Workers' Union has timed its rebranding with the 66th anniversary of its foundation. Besides refurbishing the entrance to its headquarters in Valletta, it has also changed its logo, membership card and website. More importantly, it is expanding its services to members and their families in a bid to provide a holistic service.

All this is well and good. But there is one particular aspect that needs rebranding most: its attitude. The GWU comes across as acting too aggressive, too politically motivated, when it comes to deal with a Nationalist government. Now, most unions, openly or not, tend to side with one political party or another but in the case of the GWU its alliance with the Labour Party has been generally seen as being far too strong. Again, such strong alliances may work well in some countries but in such a small, politically-divided and politically-fanatic island, it does not.

This is why so many look at the GWU as a political trade union. This has generally worked against its interests. Which is not to say that the union has not done any good to its members. Of course, it has, in the same way other unions have over the years. But the GWU has not always acted strictly as a trade union because many of its actions were seen to have been politically motivated as was the case, for instance, when it paralysed Malta Drydocks for seven months through an overtime ban.

The history of the times under the socialist Administration of Dom Mintoff, especially during the statutory partnership sealed with the Malta Labour Party in 1978, is replete with instances when the union stood back as the government fought tooth and nail what were then called the free trade unions (to distinguish them from the GWU).

At one time, the government had even refused to recognise partial industrial action and no fewer than 900 bank employees were suspended. Doctors taking partial industrial action were locked out and workers reporting sick risked having policemen knocking on their doors in no time.

So, when the GWU says it has always striven for unity among trade unions, this past perspective jumps out of history to remind us of times past. The statutory partnership with Labour has long been forgotten, though the union is still regarded as a political trade union. All this will not come as music to the ears of the GWU but if the union wants to be, as it says, credible, it would need to be more realistic in its attitude and dealings with the Nationalists whenever they are in government, as they are now.

Far too often, the union's voice is strident, sometimes even inflammatory, putting off even those who generally look at the GWU sympathetically. Trade union militancy is par for the course in trade unionism but if the union wants to attract new members it would need to change its tune and rebrand the tactics it uses in the ongoing drive to defend the workers' interests at their place of work and, generally, to help bring about improvement in the conditions of work.

The new initiatives it is taking, including what it is calling as the social tourism project, and the formulation of policy papers, are commendable but what most outside its orbit are expecting now is a rebranding of its tactics.