Malta Shipyards' workers

The decision taken by Palumbo Spa not to employ the 60 workers that were left registered with Malta Shipyards is an industrial strategy. This will enable it to recruit new workers under different and inferior working conditions.

The fact that the 60 workers were not given the choice to work with the new company is a confirmation that the company did not want to recognise the working conditions enjoyed by the workers through the collective bargaining.

Privatisation is leading to inferior working conditions and precarious jobs in various sectors of the economy. The case of the postal services is a clear example where new workers are being employed in different categories such as on definite contract, part-time work and self-employed. Postal workers are finding it difficult to apply for bank loans. This is the result of the Nationalist administration's neo-liberal policies. These policies are bringing back class distinctions.

It is really a pity that the Malta Shipyards, which was the cradle and school of trades, was not modernised and developed to produce green technology. The building of the three Gozo Channel ships is a clear example of the ability and skills that the shipyard workers had.

We would like to applaud all those workers who worked within Malta Shipyards and the General Workers' Union, which for many years defended the workers under difficult situations.