In a letter to Chairman John Cassar White, the General Workers’ Union section representing the workers said that if the situation did not improve, they would have no option but to call for the resignation of the directors responsible for attracting work for the company.

Addressing the workers during their break, GWU Secretary-General Tony Zarb said the Malta Drydocks workers really wanted to work and the union was blaming the management for the lack of work currently being experienced by the company and its employees.

“There are members of management who are being paid thousands of liri every year to ensure that the company never runs out of work. If the situation does not change, we will have to start wondering whether the company really needed these people, assuming that they don’t have a hidden agenda,” he said.

He said the workers have long been asking to see the company’s business and development plan in order to participate in the discussions and measures necessary to make the company viable.

He quoted Investment Minister Austin Gatt as saying that the government will not pay “one more penny” for the drydocks. He criticised him for saying this, adding that as a minister, he should put more pressure on those responsible for obtaining work for the company.

He said the union was playing its part by meeting various ambassadors in Malta in an attempt to attract work and investment and a meeting had already been held with the ambassador of the United States.

As expected, Mr Zarb also made reference to 1 May – the day when Malta officially becomes a European Union member state which is also Workers’ Day.

“For the GWU, 1 May was, is and will remain Worker’s Day and for as long as the union exists, the day will remain dedicated to workers. On the day, the union will be participating in the demonstration in Valletta. The union will continue defending the workers’ interests,” he said.