The General Workers’ Union has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. If the clock is turned back two years, I’m sure people will remember that the GWU was making itself a chief protagonist within the ‘alliance’ put together by the then Labour Opposition led by Joseph Muscat. It spearheaded an antagonist and belligerent attitude against the incumbent Nationalist government which lasted the whole duration of that administration in office.

Since March 2013, however, the GWU has completely reversed its attitude and in these last 24 months it didn’t find at least one issue to pick up with the Labour government. This is probably a world record for any bona fide trade union.

It is so very evident that this state of affairs is neither coincidental nor without a very specific reason. Everyone is entitled to arrive at his own conclusion but one can easily assess what is really happening with regards to the relations between the GWU and the Labour government.

Two particular issues emerged in the last few weeks: the GWU’s efforts to tow the line with the government plan – if there is any – at Enemalta, and the leasing of part of the GWU premises in Valletta to the government utilities billing company Arms Ltd in a flagrant breach of a public contract.

Hundreds of Enemalta workers are passing through a veritable nightmare after Labour’s betrayal of its pre-election solemn promise that the corporation will not be privatised.

The government instead introduced a Chinese govern-ment company and thus caused a real ‘earthquake’ to employees’ conditions of work; some workers’ future employment could also be affected.

Instead of vigorously taking the side of the embattled Enemalta workers, the GWU chose to appease Labour, even taking punches on its behalf, while its shop stewards go around with secret lists of where ‘selected’ Enemalta employees could be redeployed.

In 2014, the GWU leased a part of its premises in Valletta to Arms Ltd, a wholly-owned government company, in a flagrant breach of a public contract signed in 1997.

Instead of vigorously taking the side of the embattled Enemalta workers, the GWU chose to appease Labour

In 1956, in another contract signed, among others by then prime minister Dom Mintoff representing the government, it was agreed that the Maltese government will grant the land in Valletta on which Auberge de France was situated – before it was destroyed by enemy action in 1942 – for the GWU to build its own headquarters.

A particular condition in that contract stipulated that “the building to be erected on the site shall not, either wholly or in part, be transferred, assigned or let to third parties for commercial use”.

It is very pertinent to point out that this condition was suggested by the union’s legal counsel and approved by the union’s national executive in its meeting of January 2, 1956.

In 1997, under another Labour government, the agreement between the government and the GWU was amended so that the union could lease parts of its headquarters to any commercial entity in which the GWU has, at least, a 50 per cent +1 shareholding.

This implies that the GWU is precluded from leasing or transferring parts of its headquarters to any other entity in which the GWU has no shareholding whatsoever.

A contract to this effect was signed on December 12, 1997 by the GWU and the Land Department in front of notary V. Miceli.

Notwithstanding this public contract, last year the GWU entered into a contract with Arms Ltd, leasing a part of its headquarters, for which it is being paid €60,000 annually. It is to be pointed out that despite its prime site location, the contract between the government and GWU stipulates that the GWU pays the princely annual sum of €800 to the government!

These facts amply show that the GWU, with the blessing and complicity of Labour, breached a public contract and is thus gaining, illegally, thousands of euros.

Lately I was really intrigued to learn that to kowtow means to kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in submission, as part of a Chinese custom, thus showing to be excessively subservient towards someone.

That, to my mind, explains very vividly the GWU’s kowtowing to Muscat’s government.

Kristy Debono is the Nationalist Party’s spokeswoman on financial services, IT and gaming.

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