The government was discriminating against the General Workers' Union and being hostile towards the union but nothing will stop it from continuing its fight for the benefit of workers, GWU general secretary Tony Zarb said yesterday.

Closing the union's biennial general conference during which delegates voted on seven motions which, according to Mr Zarb give the union its roadmap for the next two years, Mr Zarb said the government had appointed the UHM's Gejtu Vella director of the Consumer's Authority and Gejtu Tanti on the board of the ETC, but there were no such appointments for GWU officials.

Moreover, workers received telephone calls from ministries warning them not to join the GWU.

GWU EU project proposals were also encountering problems with some not being approved by certain ministries.

Mr Zarb said that in the 68 years of the GWU's existence, Nationalist governments had always discriminated against the union and the union would never forget statements that, for example, its headquarters should be changed into a block of flats. It would also not forget the financial slap in the face it was given when cargo handling was robbed of its role.

But hostility will not stop the union "the GWU is here and here it will stay," he said to applause.

Mr Zarb said that the GWU had grown by 4,000 new members in the past two years. Its new members include the employees of Palumbo shipyard. He warned Palumbo that the union would taken legal action if the management continued to refuse to grant it sole recognition for workers.

The GWU, he said, would also not stop its fight for members of disciplinary forces to join a union and for the Forum to join the MCESD.

The union would also continue with its campaign on the heartless and insensitive way the government was showing towards difficulties being faced by the people.

The ETC was itself discriminating by employing people in dangerous work.

Care workers and security guards employed by private companies who won government tenders were badly paid and there were workers on minimum wage, who had to pay their employer €20 back every month.

There were also workers in homes for the elderly who worked 60 to 80 hours a week at a flatrate of €3.50.

In the hospitality industry there were people, including foreigners, who were paid just €3.30 an hour.