A Freeport employee who suffered a permanent injury due to the "prehistoric" systems of work has won €131,000 in damages.

In an action for damages, worker Alexander Ciantar told the court he was injured in December 2010 when he was assigned perform twist lock manoeuvres consisting in lashing containers together.

To do this, he had to climb six storeys above the wharf on to the ship. He said he had not been provided with communication equipment and could not therefore communicate with the operator of the crane who was six storeys above him.

At one stage the crane operator unexpectedly moved the gantry and it collided with Mr Ciantar pushing him onto a container.

Mr Justice Silvio Meli that in terms of law each employer had to provide its employees with a safe and secure work environment.

In this case, it resulted that Malta Freeport Terminals Limited had not provided its employees with systems of communication, so they had to communicate with one another, while operating enormous machines which were at large distances from one another with hand signals.

The Freeport, said the court, which aspired to be the envy of other such enterprises in the Mediterranean, could not accept work practices which were reminiscent of prehistory.

The court found in favour of Mr Ciantar and, after evaluating the level of disability and his salary, awarded him €131,077 in damages.