The General Workers Union yesterday called for an urgent investigation by the Auditor General into the role played by the Nationalist Administration in awarding the same contractor some 27 public cleaning contracts.

The call comes after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi demanded the resignation of GWU general secretary Tony Zarb.

This followed the publication of a recording in which Mr Zarb is heard indicating that the union could give this contractor a push when competing for tenders if its employees joined the GWU.

The recording was made at the time when the contractor, Dominic Gafà, was awarded one of the contracts, the GWU said in a statement yesterday.

The union said the contracts were awarded to Mr Gafà at a rate below the minimum wage, which indicated that the Government was aware he employed precarious work practices.

This made the State a collaborator in the exploitation of his employees.

The union said the matter needed to be investigated by the Auditor General and all related documentation should be passed on to him without delay.

It called on the Prime Minister to shoulder political responsibility for this exploitation.

Yesterday morning, Mr Zarb filed two more libel suits over the affair, one against the PN’s deputy leader Simon Busuttil and another against its general secretary Paul Borg Olivier and head of its media machine, Nathaniel Attard.

Dr Busuttil made a public speech last Thursday in which he referred to the recording as proof of corruption.

Referring to Dr Borg Olivier, Mr Zarb said he had made a number of statements in which he alleged corruption and they were broadcast on the Nationalist Party’s NET TV.

Mr Zarb filed a libel suit last week claiming that declarations made by the Prime Minister about the recording and his allegations of corruption were libellous.