The General Workers’ Union has called on the Director of Employment to declare what action would be taken against a cleaning company it says imposes precarious working conditions.

Standing outside Boffa Hospital, union general secretary Tony Zarb said the union would not accept that the director of Gafà Saveways, the cleaning company, should “threaten” employees anymore.

“There are people working here and today he arrived with a group of immigrants and showed them around the place,” Mr Zarb said.

This was “a threat” to the employees who feared they would be fired and replaced. The move came after the employees signed a form, similar to a receipt, acknowledging they had received a sum of money for the extra work they did, he said.

However, Mr Zarb insisted, the employees had never been paid.

The company was also putting pressure for the employees to reduce the number of hours worked every week or register the hours on two companies.

He expressed solidarity with the workers and said the union would remain by their side throughout.

“We want immediate action. The Government has already made a commitment against precarious jobs but we want action”.

Mr Zarb said the GWU was informed that the Director of Employment would be looking into the matter.

“We want a reply by Monday,” he said.

When asked whether the union spoke to the company, Mr Zarb said they “did not speak to companies that treated people this way”.