Witnesses in a libel case GWU general secretary Tony Zarb had instituted against Vince Farrugia, the director-general of the GRTU, said in court this morning that Mr Farrugia had called workers ‘rats’ during a meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and this was in the meeting’s minutes.

Mr Zarb had instituted the proceedings against Mr Farrugia over comments the latter made on a TVM programme.

Mr Zarb claimed that the comments by Mr Farrugia implied that he had manipulated the minutes of a meeting of an MCESD meeting, he had been called a fascist and it was claimed that he had incited people to violence.

These allegations, the GWU had said in a statement, were made after it reported how Mr Farrugia had described some people having a precarious job as 'rats'.

MCESD chairman Sonny Portelli told the court today that during the meeting, on November 14, 2011, Mr Zarb had said that the government should address dangerous work practices.

In response, Mr Farrugia had said that he (Mr Zarb) could keep the workers who were going to the GWU because they were rats. The three GWU members, as well as himself, Mr Portelli said, immediately intervened to calm things down and the meeting continued civilly.

Minutes were later corrected to include the word rats. The minutes were then approved without further corrections.

Asked by lawyer Aron Mifsud Bonnici if there was any pressure, as had been alleged by Mr Farrugia during a television programme, for the minutes to be changed, Mr Portelli said that was not and correction of minutes was a normal procedure.

Executive secretary Sylvia Gauci also said in her testimony that Mr Farrugia had described the workers who were members of the GWU as rats.