The General Workers Union will today be inviting the management of ST Microelectronics to discuss making changes to the package of austerity measures rejected by workers in a vote last week.
GWU section secretary Andrew Mizzi said he hoped some changes would be agreed upon so that they would then be presented to the workers for a second vote.
The union would do anything to encourage further investment in the interests of its members, said Mr Mizzi.
He was speaking to The Times after the Prime Minister yesterday called on workers and the union not to "sabotage" the investment agreement reached between the government and ST, which employs over 1,400 workers.
Two weeks ago, Lawrence Gonzi announced an agreement with the world's fifth largest semiconductor company on an aid package designed to secure the company's future in Malta, through a new high-end production line at its Kirkop plant.
At the time, no mention was made of the austerity measures but after GWU members voted down the deal last Friday, it transpired that the investment was conditional on the new measures being approved.
The measures, intended to save around €600,000 (negotiated down from a package saving €3 million) in the short term, would also have meant a wage-rise freeze for two years while new employees would start work on minimum wage.
The cost-cutting measures contained in the package were aimed at ensuring the company's competitiveness and securing its presence in Malta, Dr Gonzi said yesterday as he urged workers to reflect on the potential repercussions of their decision.
Speaking during a radio interview, he also called on the GWU, representing them, to show a sense of leadership.
Mr Mizzi explained that since the austerity measures fell under the collective agreement, the union decided that it was best for its members to make the decision but only 59 per cent of the 925 eligible voters, members of the GWU, had cast their vote.
Members may have been misled because the government had gone ahead and announced ST's investment before the deal was concluded, he added. This gave workers the wrong impression that it would go ahead despite their vote.
He called on the government to be clear with the workers and explain to them why they were being asked to accept austerity measures from a company that planned to make further investment in the country.
The developments come after the multi-national company downsized its workforce by about 400 after facing worldwide difficulties, amid fears that the company might relocate its Malta plant to another country.