Family ‘indispensable’ – GRTU president

The two most precious things in our country are the family and values, according to Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU president Paul Abela.

Speaking at a meeting with the Marriage Without Divorce movement, Mr Abela said the GRTU “does not and will not” have an official stand on divorce.

He declared himself a man “married for 38 years with five children” and against divorce.

“In whatever I have done, in business, and with all the riches I might have, there is nothing more precious than the family,” Mr Abela, a former mayor of Swieqi, said.

He said that most small businesses were family concerns and experience had shown him that when there were familial difficulties, the business tended to suffer too.

Mr Abela called on GRTU members to listen to both sides and reflect in private, and for them to vote with their conscience for the good of the country.

In a statement, the GRTU said that in the rest of the meeting, held behind closed doors, members of its National Executive Council spoke on “the importance of continuing to strengthen and not break the family”.

“The general line on which those present spoke was that they were very sceptical about how divorce was a practical solution that helped and did not disrupt Maltese family values,” the GRTU said.