Workers at Palumbo shipyards held a protest this evening in front of the company’s premises to defend their employer, saying they did not want their jobs threatened.

The protest followed articles that appeared in this newspaper based on residents’ complaints about dirt and noise, particularly at night. Residents complained their health was suffering and the noise at night was unbearable.

“These complaints put our work at risk. We have been here before when the public complained they were paying for our employment before the shipyard was privatised. Now we are contributing to the economy thanks to Mr Palumbo,” one of the workers said.

They denied being pushed by the company to take a stand, although at least one Italian employee was among the workers.

A spokesman from Palumbo Shipyard also said the police visited the yard unannounced following a report by a resident. The company said that at the time no noise could be heard from the bastions, which are the closest to the residential areas.

At the time two workers were washing a ship docked 450 metres from the nearest residential area and over a kilometre from Senglea, a company spokesman said.

Workers said residents should stop complaining because their livelihood depended on the shipyard. “If they continue, we will have trouble,” one of the workers told this newspaper.