The company at the centre of a controversy involving General Workers’ Union general secretary Tony Zarb has been ordered to pay three of its employees €4,500 in compensation after sacking them illegally.

Gafà Saveway Cleaning Services Ltd had accepted to take the three workers from the previous contractor when it secured a deal with Malta International Airport.

Doris Sammut, Janice Vassallo and Silvio Sammut filed separate cases before the Industrial Tribunal after their jobs were terminated on the basis of redundancy after refusing to be demoted by their new employer.

The tribunal, presided over by Joseph Bonnici, heard they had previously spent six years working for Euro Hygiene Company Ltd, which had won the contract to clean the airport.

When the contract expired, Gafà Saveway Cleaning Services Ltd bid successfully to do the job and agreed to take on all employees.

However, it wanted to demote the three workers in question, who had served as supervisors, to the grade of cleaners.

Since the company could not offer them the same grade and they refused to be demoted, they were sacked.

The employees argued that, according to the contract it had won, the company had to take on all employees. They also argued they never worked as cleaners but as supervisors.

The Employment and Industrial Relations Act laid down that when an employee’s working conditions changed drastically and led to termination of employment, the employer had to assume responsibility for such termination, the tribunal said. It therefore ordered Gafà Saveway Cleaning Services Ltd to pay Ms Sammut €500, Ms Vassallo €2,500 and Mr Sammut €1,500.

The company and its owner, Dominic Gafà, hit the headlines last week following the release of a recording taken at a lunch meeting with Mr Zarb in June.

Mr Gafà was one of four people present at the meeting during which Mr Zarb is heard saying he would be able to assist Mr Gafà’s company with tenders, particularly under a Labour government, should his employees join the GWU.

Mr Zarb contends the meeting was held to discuss precarious working conditions that Mr Gafà was imposing on his employees and that his suggestion was the GWU would give the company good references if it treated its employees well.

He argued this would be more the case under a Labour government because the party had vowed to discriminate against companies who employed people with precarious conditions.

The other two people present were company consultant Michael Ferry and former GWU assistant general secretary Gejtu Mercieca, who organised the meeting at a Marsascala restaurant.

The recorded conversation was broadcast on Net television.

In a statement on Saturday, Mr Ferry denied recording the conversation or that he was aware that any such recording was taking place.

Mr Ferry said that the substance of the meeting was Mr Zarb’s insistence on the protection of workers’ rights and not pushing for any favouritism towards one private contractor or another.

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