The General Workers' Union would respect the people's decision in the referendum, but would continue to insist that EU membership was not beneficial for Malta in the present circumstances, GWU president Salvu Sammut said yesterday.
He was addressing a union rally in Republic Street, Valletta. He said that were a yes majority to be obtained in the referendum, the GWU would embark on a campaign to mitigate the hardships membership would bring about.
General secretary Tony Zarb said the people on Saturday had to choose whether they wanted a foreign government to rule Malta for ever or if they wanted Malta to remain belonging to the Maltese.
He said that in the past month of continuous attacks against the union, 300 new members had joined the GWU, as the bigger the campaign against the union, the more the people were realising they were being deceived.
Whatever happened on Saturday, he said, the GWU would continue to defend the workers, who to it came first and foremost.
Mr Zarb accused the government of suppressing reports which showed that certain sectors of workers would be badly affected by EU membership.
These sectors included port workers, cargo handers, Air Malta, Air Supplies, tourism workers, civil servants, Enemalta, Gozo Channel and Water Services Corporation employees, factory workers and stevedores. The government should say this if it wanted to be credible.
Mr Zarb said that in spite of the campaign against the GWU, the union had the courage to continue explaining to the different sectors how EU membership would affect them.
But there were those, including the general secretary of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin Gejtu Vella, who had called the GWU a traitor.
A traitor was he who knew workers would be badly affected by membership but was not saying so to serve as a support to the government, Mr Zarb said.
He said that although the people were being promised heaven on earth with EU membership, the reality was that Europe was losing its social conscience. Poverty in the EU was on the increase, the number of homeless was growing and there were 15 million unemployed. The Maltese did not want this Europe.
Mr Zarb said that the campaign against the GWU was all set to intensify. The GWU had up to now been attacked on radio, television and in the newspapers.
"Do not think of attacking us in any other way because you will find the people ready for you," Mr Zarb said to applause.
The union, he said, was only doing its job respecting its delegates' unanimous decision that membership in such a situation was not suitable for Malta.
Malta could not afford to join the EU at this time, he said.
The GWU had published its own booklet which contained extracts from its reports and the people should compare these to what other organisations were saying the union reports' said. It was the GWU which was saying the truth, he insisted.
Portuguese CGTB union representative Augusto Praca said that the EU destroyed Portugal's fishing and textile industries and social benefits had had to be reduced because of the Stability Pact.