Union warns of politicians as election approaches

A top union man has told workers to beware the pampering by politicians as election time approaches.

General Workers’ Union secretary general Tony Zarb last night said many workers were let down after the last election when promises made to them were never kept.

“I urge you not to trust those politicians who fooled you,” Mr Zarb said.

The GWU would be giving political parties proposals for inclusion in their electoral manifestos. “We want to know which of our proposals the political parties would be ready to implement out of conviction,” he added.

Mr Zarb was speaking at a musical-literary ceremony on the eve of Workers’ Day organised by the GWU at Msida.

He said precarious work was the workers’ new blight and condemned employers who prevented employees from joining a union. Precarious work, he added, caused “suffering and poverty”.

Mr Zarb criticised the government for failing to help the burden imposed on workers and pensioners. He also expressed solidarity with European workers who shouldered the brunt of austerity measures, immigrants who were abused by employers and Syrian workers who were fighting oppression.

Meanwhile, Forum, a trade union confederation, called for a serious campaign to curb tax evasion and abuse of social benefits.

In its message for Workers’ Day, Forum said although the situation in Malta was better than in most European countries, disposable income had dropped and some 83,000 people were at risk of poverty.

The confederation urged social partners to address the concerns of the most vulnerable by ensuring the cost of living did not increase any further.

In a separate statement Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin president Jesmond Bonello called on government to give more importance to the social dimension, saying the economic crisis could not serve as an excuse to put aside social needs. The 33 per cent increase in the price of gas in the last two years was just an example of how expenses were increasing.

Mr Bonello spoke about the uncertainty revolving around the future of Air Malta and others such as care workers and security guards. He also reiterated the union’s appeal to grant soldiers, police officers and members of the civil protection department the right to join a union of their choice.