Josephine Attard Sultana, the former secretary of the General Workers Union's public workers' section, yesterday gave an account of a chain of events that resulted in what she claims was her unfair dismissal from her post at the union last year.

Ms Attard Sultana said that, although the court had upheld her request to halt the section's extraordinary general meeting - during which it was to be determined whether or not she would be kept in her post - the meeting had still taken place under a "different tinge".

The union's central administration had ignored the court ruling and called an informative meeting during which a motion for her dismissal was moved and approved by the national council, she said.

Ms Attard Sultana was testifying before the Industrial Tribunal chairman Joseph Bonnici in a case she initiated against the GWU.

She is asking the tribunal to declare that her dismissal was abusive, illegal and without any legal basis. She is also asking the tribunal to declare GWU general secretary Tony Zarb, his deputy Gejtu Mercieca and other union officials responsible for the damages she suffered as a result of her dismissal.

Ms Attard Sultana explained that she had occupied the post of section secretary since 1998. On June 22, 2006, a petition was raised calling for an extraordinary general meeting for the section's delegates. The petition also called for her replacement.

In July 2006, Mr Zarb informed her that an extraordinary general meeting had been scheduled for August 7, 2006. Following the petition, the meeting was to determine whether or not she would keep her job at the union.

Ms Attard Sultana argued that the petition did not conform to the union's statute because the required 40 per cent quota had not been reached. This resulted from a report compiled by an ad hoc committee set up by section representatives on July 17 to scrutinise the petition. But, she added, Mr Zarb did not allow the ad hoc committee to continue with its job.

Following an exchange of correspondence, Mr Zarb suggested a meeting between the union's central administration and the section's administration and suggested a date for the meeting. However, Ms Attard Sultana added, three of the five section representative had pressing commitments on the suggested day and could not make the meeting.

She explained that her father had just passed away and she had to take her mother for an important hospital appointment that day. So she asked for the meeting to be rescheduled. But it was not and claims were made that the section representatives had just not turned up. Consequently, the central administration took the decision, in her absence, to have the extraordinary general meeting on August 7.

With no other alternative, she took the case to court and on August 3 the First Hall of the Civil Court upheld her request not to allow the extraordinary general meeting to go ahead.

Then, on August 8, a meeting with the section delegates was called, even though no agenda had been drawn up. During this meeting, defined as an information meeting, a motion to sack her was moved and approved.

Ms Attard Sultana insisted that this was abusive behaviour. She was not given a chance to make her arguments heard, rebut unfounded claims and defend her position. This made the decision to sack her null.

Lawyers George Abela and Lydia Zerafa represented Ms Attard Sultana.

Lawyer Aron Mifsud Bonnici represented the union.