Government insists GWU industrial action is illegal

by Ivan Brincat

The Prime Minister yesterday insisted that the industrial action ordered by the General Workers' Union at six government companies and corporations in protest at last November's budget measures were illegal.

The GWU has ordered employees of Enemalta, Maltacom, the Water Services Corporation, the Malta Drydocks, Maltapost and Malta Shipbuilding not to offer any of their services to the government.

Eddie Fenech Adami told journalists yesterday that the cabinet decided there was no industrial dispute between the government and the GWU and the union had resorted to political action against the budget measures.

"Therefore, the action ordered by the GWU is illegal and does not have the protection of the law. We gave instructions to the chairmen of the affected corporations to take all the necessary steps immediately to safeguard the interests of the companies and corporations and their workers," Dr Fenech Adami said.

Consequently the Water Services Corporation, Maltapost, Enemalta, Maltacom and the Malta Drydocks, yesterday filed separate court protests against the General Workers' Union. The various companies and corporations said the union had informed them in a letter dated 4 April 2000 that industrial action in the form of a sympathy strike was being taken as a result of the budget measures.

They pointed out that they did not have any industrial dispute with the GWU since Maltese law established that the political motive declared by the union does not constitute a right for legal action. For this reason, there could be no sympathy action since no there is no dispute. The corporations declared that the actions ordered by the GWU will sustain irreversible damages. The corporations said the action was illegal and they will be holding the union responsible for any damages.

Maltacom also said the company is a public one with shares quoted on the Malta and London Stock Exchanges and which provides essential communication services to commercial, industrial and government sectors.

Dr Vincent Galea, Dr J.J. Vella and Dr Mario Caruana filed

the protests on behalf of the five corporations.

In 1998, the Civil Court presided by Mr Justice Albert Magri had said that directives issued by the Union Haddiema Maghqudin at the Malta Freeport in protest over the budget were illegal and abusive since these did not conform with the law. The government was informed about the "sympathy strikes" by means of letters to the companies and corporations affected.

Meanwhile, the GWU said that the industrial action, which began yesterday, was "100 per cent

successful". It said that the government had already felt the consequences of the union's actions.