Updated - Adds PN reaction - A foreign forensic analyst commissioned by the General Workers’ Union to analyse the secret recordings of comments by union general secretary Tony Zarb made public by the Nationalist Party prior to the election concluded that the excerpt had been “maliciously” edited.

Addressing a press conference this afternoon, Mr Zarb said the recordings had been 'manipulated'.

Mr Zarb was heard making comments about helping a cleaning contractor in tendering processes.

Libel proceedings Mr Zarb had filed when the recordings were first broadcast are due to start on Friday and the GWU will be filing the expert’s analysis as evidence in court.

GWU lawyer Aaron Mifsud Bonnici said the two recordings were heavily edited to give one impression when in actual fact, the scope of the meeting was different.

He said the recordings which the PN broadcast did not reflect what had originally been discussed in a two-hour lunch meeting with cleaning contractor Dominic Gafa.

Meanwhile, in another part of the news conference, Mr Zarb said the union had received another five reports of precarious working conditions which the union was now investigating.

One was about workers who were being paid €4.54 an hour with an overtime rate of €3.50 an hour instead of €6.81. Moreover, workers also complained that they were working excessive hours.

Another report was against a company of mini buses which was paying employees €3.50 an hour.

The last report was about contractor employees at Mount Carmel Hospital who were being paid at €3.96 an hour, even for overtime hours, when they should be paid €5.95 an hour for overtime.

PN REACTION

In a reaction, the PN said its position about the tape recordings was unchanged and it had acted correctly.

It insisted that the recording was not manipulated or changed and the only touching was to protect the identity of whoever was with Mr Zarb. The context was not changed. Indeed, it recalled, independent journalists had been invited to listen to the recording. 

It was clear, the PN said, that the union was resorting to such tactics to instil doubts in the libel case it had itself instituted and to try to influence the case. Mr Zarb never denied making the comments he was heard making on the tape.