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We refer to the declarations attributed to the President and the Director General of the GRTU regarding our resignation in MaltaToday, 29 October 2006.
We categorically deny that our resignations from the GRTU Executive Council were motivated by any form of party politics. First the administration claimed it’s a question of maturity and now a question of party politics! This is simply and clearly a figment of the imagination.
The issue is, should the GRTU administration occasionally listen, that with respect to the budget the GRTU is wrong when it expresses itself in the manner it did, when certain critical issues that affect its members were not being addressed by the budget. The GRTU should also have commented on how the budget addresses the conclusions of its own report engaged into by Prof Falzon. It is a pity that the administration has failed to listen to the arguments and/or suggestions we tried to communicate to it to no avail.
The President and the Director General are trying to give the impression that the problem is merely the statement on the budget. This is of course not the case. It is well known that the real issue is how the Executive Council is not being left to operate the way it should in the interest of small businesses. The manner in which the GRTU dealt with the budget convinced us even further that the GRTU is no longer listening to its members. The reality is that the GRTU administration seems to want to be surrounded by persons that do not challenge at any time its views. Is this in the interest of the members of GRTU and is it healthy for an organisation like GRTU?
Reducing the problem only to the budget statement, making false and absurd personal accusations, fabricating assumptions on what we had to say on the budget and imagining that we made statements in that respect, shows how weak their position is. It also shows that they still do not understand the urgent need that the GRTU seriously addresses the problems and ensures that the voice of various small businesses shall once again be listened to and given all due attention.
We appeal to the GRTU once again, to change its current attitude towards the issues of the self employed and small businesses and to start effectively listening to the real problems being faced by them.
How can GRTU address the real issues if it fails to listen (NOT HEAR) to them in the first place?
Reuben Buttigieg &
Hubert Agius
Sliema
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