I refer to Frankie Grech's letter The MDU And Port Workers (July 21) in which he accuses me of either stating the wrong facts or being ill-informed in my letter titled GWU Refutes Dockers' Union Claim' (July 11).

I would like at the outset to assure Mr Grech that what I wrote in my letter on behalf of the GWU is totally correct and based on known facts. Accordingly, I will stand by what I stated and explain, not because Mr Grech forced me to do so, but in order to underline that the distortion of the facts and truth is unquestionably not on the side of the GWU.

Point number 1: Mr Grech tried to contradict the GWU in its claim that only the leadership of MDU was not invited for the meetings the GWU held recently for licensed port workers.

The facts are that the leadership of MDU was inadvertently invited due to an error that occurred when labelling the letter of invitation with the addresses of port workers. Subsequently, the invitation was withdrawn for that reason and not because the GWU is afraid of something.

Point number 2: To press his point, Mr Grech mentioned that a port worker by the name of Louis Buhagiar was also not invited. It is true that no invitation was sent to Mr Buhagiar and that was done on his request when, before to the meetings for port workers, he personally and directly insisted with our general secretary to desist from sending him any letters or circulars in the future. This proves perhaps that, rather than me, Mr Grech is the one who really doesn't know the facts or was given the wrong information.

Point number 3: Deteriorating conditions of port workers. How does Mr Grech consider the fact that port workers are being denied payment for the first five days of sick or injury leave, as clearly stated in a circular issued by the MDU to its members at Malta Freeport? Mr Grech, a port worker himself, is presumed to be aware of such a condition. Otherwise, I would advise him to ask for a copy of the said circular.

What does Mr Grech have to say about the Malta Dockers Union's contradictory role especially when MDU is the employer and contracting workers on self-employment basis, thus depriving them of good conditions of work such as leave entitlement? As far as logic stretches, trade unions exist to improve and not to humiliate the workers' working conditions.

Finally, if Mr Grech wants to know who is afraid of whom, he should insist on the GWU's request for a secret ballot for licensed port works to choose which union they want to represent them. I am sure that if this ballot is conducted he will certainly get a clear answer to his question.