GWU general secretary Tony Zarb this afternoon presented the Prime Minister’s private secretary Josephine Vassallo with a petition signed by more than 500 former port employees who are complaining that they have not been given their share from a Pension and Contingency Fund they contributed to over the years when they were working at the port.

The workers, all of whom are now pensioners, were addressed by Tony Zarb at the GWU headquarters where he informed them of a series of letters sent to and from Finance Minister Tonio Fenech on the issue, as well as a letter to the PM.

Mr Zarb said that in a meeting, Mr Fenech had promised the union he would come up with a counter proposal. However, this proposal was not forthcoming in a letter which followed from the minister.

The GWU asked the minister about it and he denied he had said he would come up with a counterproposal.

Yesterday, GWU officials went to court and made a declaration under oath in which they said that during a meeting with Tonio Fenech he had promised them he would make a counter proposal.

They then circulated a petition calling on the Prime Minister to call a meeting as soon as possible to find a solution to this problem.