‘Workers described as rats’

The minutes of a social partners’ forum meeting were changed in a normal procedure to register that workers had been described as “rats”, a magistrate heard yesterday.

Sonny Portelli, chairman of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, explained while testifying in a libel suit yesterday that the General Workers’ Union had asked for a correction of the minutes and for the word “rats” to be inserted, which it was.

Mr Portelli noted that corrections requested by members were normal procedure.

The correction of the minutes led to GWU general secretary Tony Zarb to sue Vince Farrugia, director general of the Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, for libel after he implied on a television show that the union chief had manipulated the minutes of the meeting to include the word rats.

Mr Portelli said in court he could recall that during the meeting, held on November 14, 2011, which was about job mobility and lifelong learning, Mr Zarb had expressed concern about workers who were turning to his union to complain about basic rights.

The witness said that at this point, an agitated Mr Farrugia told Mr Zarb that he could keep such workers and referred to them as rats. Mr Portelli recalled that he intervened to stop the outburst and the meeting continued normally. Asked by lawyer Aaron Mifsud Bonnici, appearing for Mr Zarb, whether he had been pressured in any way to insert the word ‘rats’ or to correct the minutes, Mr Portelli said he was not.

He pointed out that when the request for the amendment was made at a meeting held on November 28, 2011, Mr Farrugia was not present though GRTU members Paul Abela and Phillip Fenech were.

MCESD secretary Sylvia Gauci testified that she was the person who took the minutes. She explained that if any member sought any changes in the minutes, she would inform Mr Portelli who, after reviewing the request, would decide whether to make the requested changes or not.

She recalled hearing Mr Farrugia saying the word “rats”.