Opposition leader Joseph Muscat has met Maltese port workers and former port workers during a visit to the port of Melbourne.

The meeting was organised by the Maritime Union of Australia as a sign of respect to the contribution Maltese and Gozitan workers gave the port and the development of industrial relations.

It is estimated that around 15 per cent of port workers in Melbourne are or Maltese origin.

Former MUA national president Jim Beggs said that during his term, half the union members were Maltese and this had led him to visit Malta to better understand their background.

He said that Maltese workers were known as hardworking and they were at the forefront in trade unionism.

Mr Beggs is currently writing a book which is to have a whole chapter on Maltese workers.

During his visit, the Labour leader and his delegation also met Paul Howes, the secretary of the Australian Workers Union, one of the biggest unions in Australia.

They discussed the situation of workers’ rights in Australian and development prospects for the future.

The AWU was, for many years, headed by Terry Muscat, a Maltese national.