News • December 07 2003

Assaults at shipyards not as grave as pictured says Union

Matthew Vella
The General Workers Union will be resuming discussions on Tuesday with regards to certain conditions in the agreement signed between the government and the union on reform at Malta Shipyards Ltd. Last Friday, Malta Shipyards chief executive Peter Moore was attacked outside the main administration building when trying to address workers to let them know what the management and the union were doing on the ongoing reforms at the yard.
GWU deputy Secretary-General Manwel Micallef, present during the confusion which arose at the yard, told MaltaToday the workers at the drydocks want more clarifications on the agreement negotiated with the government:
"A few points of interpretation have not been as clear to the workers, for example on how the shipyards’ clinic will be manned and on the allowance related to confined spaces. As the agreement is still in its first phases of implementation, radical changes tend to cause concern amongst the workers. We believe in reform but this has to be gradual."
Micallef said the confusion arising at the drydocks last Friday, in which CEO Peter Moore was attacked, had been depicted more gravely than what actually happened. He said that workers were confused and unsure about the changes happening around them:
"Recent comments made by Moore hinting at an unsure future for the shipyards by 2008 has instilled worry in many workers. The workers who said the union had betrayed them are not aware of all the factors in play at this particular time. The workers will have to change their work practices, and although this is essential to safeguard their jobs, these changes may cause some uncertainty. They feel the burden is being passed onto them and this aggravates the divide between them and higher-income management."
Micallef also said the lack of communication between the management and the workers makes the situation less easy to handle.
Malta Shipyards Ltd Chairman John Cassar White agrees with Micallef: "I agree that there should be better communication especially in circumstances where misunderstandings are likely to arise. The collective agreement will be circulated to all the workers and both management and union have to explain the finer points of the agreement. When it comes to matters such as changes in work practices, which for years have been unchanged, the workers should be informed as much as possible on what reforms are taking place."
Cassar White, talking to MaltaToday yesterday, described the incident at the Shipyards on Friday as a serious matter which had not happened for years, save for the similar incidents which in 2001. Cassar White said the incidents will be discussed internally with the union.
matthew@newsworksltd.com