The General Workers Union issued a statement yesterday as a sign of respect at the death of His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

“The GWU joins the Maltese people and the rest of the world in their mourning over the Pope’s death. At this time the GWU cannot but express the admiration it had for the Pope, who worked hard for peace and against poverty and who always fought for human rights.”

The statement went on to say that the Pope had showed admirable courage on various occasions when he spoke bluntly about the value of justice, especially among the people living in areas notoriously deprived of it.

The Pope had served as an inspiration for the GWU, especially through his encyclical Laborem Exercens which he published in 1981, said the statement. In this encyclical, the Pope spoke about man in the context of work.

The Pope had praised the importance of trade unionism and had also pronounced himself against economic systems which do not give sufficient rights to workers. Workers’ rights are, in a wide context, part and parcel of human rights, said the GWU – quoting the encyclical.

In conclusion, the GWU said that it will continue to be guided by the Pope’s example and that it will continue being motivated to fight for workers’ rights in such a way that they are always treated as human beings and not as part of the production process.