While nothing could have been done to save the livelihood of Denim workers, it seems appalling that we are allowing Sea Malta, (and far more seriously the jobs of people whose jobs were so needed that another company was prepared to buy up the company!) to go down hook, line and sinker.

There was a good deal on the table and the unions blew it away. We all thought they were doing it to safeguard jobs, or perhaps to safeguard work conditions as the issue appeared to be around how many days the seamen would have to spend at sea) but according to a report in The Malta Independent on Sunday, it appears that some workers were very interested in taking a massive lump sum in redundancy, rather than saving the company and saving everyone’s job.

If this is true, it will be an appalling indictment of the union, a terrible bow to Labour’s previously good chances of winning the next election, and an absolute disgrace for those Sea Malta families who have as usual got caught in the crossfire of conflict of interest.

I cannot believe the roller coaster that has been the Sea Malta saga. It all started, in the public eye at least with a very nasty stand off between Sea Malta’s chairman and Minister Gatt, where the latter came out bruised.

Whether Marlene Mizzi was right or not about whether Sea Malta should be privatised or not is a moot point, but to have Minster Gatt lording it over everyone, telling us all chairmen are just there to implement and obey, (when in so many cases they do so much more and willingly take additional responsibilities,) he made the government look like a bully. Nobody – but nobody likes a bully.

Since then though we have had even more counter bullying from the union and it really is appalling to watch arrogant grown men call each other “arrogant” all the time.

The bottom line is that there were losses at Sea Malta and government thought it should be privatised. Compared to many of our loss-bleeding entities, I wonder how crucial this was – but it certainly was a “privatisable” company.

Was it really necessary to slag the chairman and threaten everyone with job losses?

And Grimaldi were prepared to buy. But the union stood firm on certain conditions. But if it is true that it stood firm to help people get much-wanted redundancy payments, that is another thing altogether. I am amazed. Up to this point the government or Minister Gatt at least appeared to be the “baddie” of the case.

Now though, the GWU seems keen to assume that role itself which will harm the Labour Party in the process.

I know readers are thinking: “Who is this woman to worry about the MLP losing or not winning an election”.

Well, actually I would like to live in a healthy democracy, where I could stay away on voting day and not be worried if the PM was Alfred Sant or Lawrence Gonzi.

Yet, when the GWU behaves like this, it taints the MLP and I’m sure the party strategists are silently worried.

I don’t believe the PN propaganda machine when it hints and tells us that the GWU does what the MLP tells it to.

I think its one of those very modern marriages (that often break down) where both do their own thing. I think the GWU is acting on its own, thinking it’s helping labour but is actually totally harming it.

There was, prior to this, huge irritation at the arrogance of the government – and this arrogance, or this perception of it was mostly focused on Minister Austin Gatt with newspapers gleefully reporting, on a weekly basis which chairmen or CEOs had deserted him.

But at the end of the day this is not a red or blue issue. I am sick of seeing the faces of blue and red protagonists.

I want to see pictures of the worried faces of families of Sea Malta employees, who are not going to have a job, and won’t have a cushy redundancy package (as it is only the seafarers who have this package apparently).

Can we put away egos and political differences and save jobs where we can? We couldn’t with Denim. We could have with Sea Malta. Therein lies this country’s tragedy.

Stop calling each other names and get on with your real job, which is to protect workers, their families and livelihoods.

Are we seriously planning to drown a company hook, line and sinker, so that some workers can get a cushy redundancy package of tens of thousands?