MaltaMedia.com

Deputy leader of the Labour Party (PL) Toni Abela on Saturday said that President George Abela should intervene and help to unblock the situation created with the €1 million garnishee order issued by the Malta Freeport against the GWU. Meanwhile, the Malta Dockers Union (MDU) said in a statement that it never asked for the verification exercise to be conducted. The MDU added that it is in possession of documents which prove that from a total of 370 port workers, 327 of them are members of the same union.

Meanwhile, FOR.UM, a grouping of trade unions, called upon the Malta Freeport to withdraw the €1 million garnishee order issued in its favour against the GWU. Referring to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, it said that it was not clear on how such issues should be resolved. The group said that while the garnishee order should be withdrawn, a secret ballot should be held under the supervision of the GWU and the MDU.

On its part, the Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) said in a statement that the developments at the Malta Freeport sets a worrying precedent in industrial relations. AD joins the group of unions FORUM in calling for a change in attitude and calls for discussion and negotiations rather than strong hand tactics.

All parties involved should withdraw their actions immediately, including the garnishee order and a secret ballot under the supervision of all parties involved should take place without delay to resolve the issue at stake once and for all.

Last Thursday in a letter to the Malta Dockers Union (MDU), Malta Freeport has granted sole recognition to the MDU as the union representing its port workers. This recognition was given after the Director of Industrial Relations carried out verifications of union membership. This verification was done after the General Workers Unions (GWU) had last February has asked for sole recognition at the Malta Freeport. However, this verification, which lasted three days, has proven that it was in fact the Malta Dockers Union that represented the majority of the Freeport workers.

Meanwhile, the GWU has been imposed a €1 million garnishee order by the court at the request of Malta Freeport. The GWU, which, like the MDU, had claimed to represent the majority of the port workers, said the verification process was a sham. It also ordered industrial action at Malta Freeport. The union said the garnishee order had effectively frozen all its assets.