Just over 100 workers at Malta’s largest private sector employer, ST Microelectronics, are on forced leave, The Malta Independent has learned.

The workers are employed in the PBGA section that produces microchips for export at ST’s plant in Gudja. Company sources told this newspaper that forced leave was imposed on production-line workers and managers alike, all within the same section.

It is said that this particular section has been long earmarked by the company for reallocation to Asia or North Africa where the company has other plants. However, following negotiations with the previous administration the Maltese government - fearing that job losses could result - managed to convince the company not to reallocate.

Sources close to the company revealed to The Malta Independent that the situation had reached such a critical point that former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi travelled for one-to-one meetings on the matter with ex Italian Prime Minister Silvio Belusconi and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Both Italy and France have a shareholding in ST, a company which has been in Malta since the mid-seventies and which employed over 2,000 workers. Trade statistics have always indicated that besides the employment factor, Malta’s exports highly depend on ST.

It is highly expected that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and make time to have a one-to-one chat on the future of ST in Malta when meeting Italy’s and France’s counterparts during this week’s EU summit.

ST workers affected by the forced leave who spoke to this newspaper explained their worries that the company might shift part of its operation elsewhere, in turn shedding jobs in Malta.

Notwithstanding the fact that the GWU has refrained from announcing this situation on any of its media platforms, sources in the union told us that the section’s Secretary for Technology and Electronics, Andrew Mizzi, has been busy working behind the scenes to avoid any drastic measures which ST could resort to.

It transpires that the company initially wanted to force the workers on leave on days that would have affected shift and weekend allowance, however, upon Mr Mizzi’s intervention leave was forced on the workers during weekdays. It is understood that the GWU is also demanding a clear picture of the situation from the company so as to decide whether to take up the issue with the government for reassurances on ST workers’ jobs.