Ministry reacts to GWU Fairmount corruption claims
Video: Mark Zammit Cordina
Updated: Adds government reaction
The General Workers Union said today that it suspected corruption in the Fairmount ship conversion projects at Malta Shipyards and was requesting an inquiry.
General secretary Tony Zarb told a news conference this afternoon that this was a major scandal which was not due to a human error.
There were facts which were still being uncovered and the review conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers left many questions unanswered and raised more concerns, he said.
The people, Mr Zarb said, had a right to the truth.
But asked whether the GWU had any hard facts to prove its claim of corruption, Mr Zarb and deputy Geitu Mercieca insisted that their claims were the conclusions of the GWU report which should have been commissioned and drawn up by “a responsible government”.
The GWU drew up a 38-page outlining the details of the case and the facts showed the possibility of corruption, possibly on a large scale.
The report, Mr Zarb said, is being presented to the government and the opposition. The government had enough facts in hand to take action and the GWU was still insisting for a public and independent inquiry which hadto be taken on oath and which should investigate everyone, including the Prime Minister.
One of its terms should be to quantify the net loss of the contracts and who was responsible for it.
He said that the GWU’s calculations that the loss amounted to €80 million and not €37 million, as PricewaterhouseCoopers had established, had not been contested.
The GWU listed profitable projects which were undertaken by the same amount of workers, using the same tools and with the same working conditions and organisational structure.
This, Mr Zarb said, confirmed how the Fairmount losses were due to something that had gone wrong.
“The scandalous losses emanate from the contract conditions - yjr underestimated quote, the way the contract was negotiated and irregularities and mismanagement at the Drydocks.
MINISTRY'S REACTION
The Infrastructure Ministry in a reaction to the GWU statements, said the union had alleged corruption, but had not proved any.
Indeed, the ministry said, the union comments were a repetition of speeches made by the Leader of the Opposition.
The GWU had also repeated allegations it had made for several weeks, while ignoring the explanations given in the PWC report. Many of the questions asked in the GWU report had actually been answered in the PWC report, published some weeks ago.
The ministry said the government would evaluate the GWU report even though it was politicised and the union had not commissioned independent, professional investigators as Malta Shipyards had done when it engaged PWC.
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J Caruana
Dec 4th 2009, 19:49
Tajba din! anke jien nista nghid 'Is-sur X nahseb li hu korrott'! Imma ma jkollhix provi ta dan kollu! U hekk qed taghmel il-GWU titfa t-tajn minghajr ma ghandha ebda provi!
If I'm not mistaken the GWU was striving to change its image but here they go again joining Labour's mud throwing bandwagon !
Whilst the GWU remains unattractive Labour remains unelectable
wally vella-zarb
Dec 4th 2009, 19:34
@ J.Tonna
"I learned that parrots repeat what their master says, but it seems that not only parrots do that."
Well said! The usual anti-GWU slogans appear here regularly, ad nauseam, from people who probably never ever entered - let alone worked at - the Drydocks. People who do not appreciate what skilled craftsmen had to face in, quite often, dangerous conditions.
And then someone has the gall to exclaim 'His master's voice'? THESE are the true parrots, Mr Tonna!
Anthony Farrugia
Dec 4th 2009, 19:09
Every Tom. Dick and Harry can be morally convinced that corruption exists, it is the facts that are hard to come by and prove. So the GWU has joined the chorus of the usual suspects. What rebranding ?
J Farrugia
Dec 4th 2009, 17:49
as always. il-GWU forcina tal-lejber.
Joe Vella
Dec 4th 2009, 17:16
Isn't there a Maltese saying that says; "IL-HAZIN JAHSEB FIL HAZIN." I believe this Maltese saying speaks volume alone about the PL, the GWU and its' respective leadership.
Gerard Cassar
Dec 4th 2009, 17:03
If some one wants to know how the P.N. Smurfs feel about the workers particularly the D'Yard workers just keep a copy of these blogs.
They are full of friendly remarks, much of them written by those who attend their place of worrk in rhe morning then they leave their place of work with the blessings of their heads. They hardly do a day's work at their ministry but are always present on pay day.
Joe Morana
Dec 4th 2009, 16:50
The closure of the "Drydocks" is the shameful epitaph of successive "weak" governments (both parties) which just pumped money but which never really 'owned nor managed' the Shipyards; the 'misguided' workers representatives ( Council and Union), and the Drydocks workers themselves who shortsightedly let themselves be led by the nose in believing that the Drydocks was a financial bottomless pit.
Last but not least us taxpayers who kept silent letting the Drydocks problem sucking Malta's coffers, be pushed under the carpet, making belief that it is better to buy a solution than really tackle and solve the Drydocks problem.
The "Drydocks" saga is a monument to our collective national failure, to take competitive advantage of our islands' strategic postion, our ship repair facilities and our longstanding workers' skills , only to sell such strategically positioned facilites to foreign interests at give away prices. PITY and SHAME.
Alfred Camilleri
Dec 4th 2009, 16:21
L Galea said that "... God will sure pay them back for what they did and are doing to Malta and the Maltese people." God is already paying your party back for its actions when in government by putting you in opposition for so many years. But God is full of mercy for one and all, as long as he'she does not repeat past mistakes. Repent says John the Baptist. But Labour never repents is past sins. so there is only one place for people like you. In Opposition.
M Psaila
Dec 4th 2009, 16:17
WHEN LABOUR HAS NOTHING TO SAY IT STARTS SEEING CORRUPTION EVERYWHERE AND THEN THE GWU COMES OUT TO SUPPORT IT
J,Tonna
Dec 4th 2009, 16:13
I learned that parrots repeat what their master says, but it seems that not only parrots do that.
Joe Vella
Dec 4th 2009, 16:06
It amazes me how the PL and the GWU with every breath they breath accused of corruption galore is going on in Malta. Why is it then that both the PL and the GWU never approach the Police with the least piece of information to investigate? Could it be that the PL and the GWU are rotten down deep?
N.Calleja
Dec 4th 2009, 16:00
There seems to be a concerted effort by the Labour Party and the GWU to cry foul play to anything done by the government. Either one or the other or both find fault in everything and each of them blow their trumpets accordingly. L-Orizzont plays the tune and the PL dances and vice-versa. Super One Radio and TV air these corruption fables over and over again so that they go deep down in the people's stomach. They are again copying Alfred Sant's slogans hoping that next time round all this will win them the next,or next,or next elections! Why don't they stop for a while and look over their shoulders!
c. camilleri
Dec 4th 2009, 15:43
When all this nonsense is going to stop? Is it possible there is nothing important to be discussed?
julian caruanna
Dec 4th 2009, 15:28
@ Mr lgalea.
Why so much hatred brother?
O. Gauci
Dec 4th 2009, 15:24
Welcome to the new progressive movement....listening to Igalea shows that after all its nothing new at all. Is this the new progressive movement? is this the new labour? I hope and pray to God its not for the good of our beloved nation...but unfortunately the indications are otherwise.
J. Mifsud
Dec 4th 2009, 15:21
@ Anthony Barbara
Why don't you knock on the horse's mouth, that is the current administration?? You might get some answers to your questions......
Joe Micallef
Dec 4th 2009, 14:35
You're right Anthony otherwise how can GWU shift the blame on someone else.
lgalea
Dec 4th 2009, 14:20
Anthony Barbara
It was not the workers who stole from the Shipyards Barbara, but those in management who did their best to bankrupt the Shipyard because the PN hated its workers and because the eu wanted to eliminate competition to its mainland shipyards. But God will sure pay them back for what they did and are doing to Malta and the Maltese people. Perhaps the chaos that both the PN government and the eu are in and which shall increase to the point where the eu shall have to be scrapped and consigned to the dustbin of history to where it rightly belongs is a sign that payback has already started. May it not last long and may the eu's demise come today before tomorrow.
Anthony Barbara
Dec 4th 2009, 13:59
Yes Mr Zarb the people of Malta have a right to be told the truth about who bankrupted the Malta Drydocks. They have a right to know where the millions which the PN administration gave to the Dockyard went. We have a right to know why the dockyard workers were given golden handshakes when they stole from their same workplace through obsolete working practices.