Working for a trade union is probably a dream not shared by many young graduates, but General Workers’ Union (GWU) section secretary Rebecca Gatt said that while reading for a degree in sociology at the University of Malta, she always preferred the subject of trade unionism.

Although she was never involved in the GWU before she started working as junior secretary in January 2003, Ms Gatt was always actively involved in various student organisations during her time spent at sixth form and university. This was definitely an asset for the position she currently holds as section secretary within the energy, chemicals and printing division, which happens to be the largest of all 10 GWU sections. She took over from Geitu Mercieca following his appointment as deputy secretary general of the GWU last October.

Ms Gatt confessed that entering the GWU as a new university graduate, with very little work experience, was not the norm and the first six months were tough to get through. She did not want to let such an opportunity slip by however, since she knew that it would be almost impossible to find a vacant position of this kind with another trade union.

She entered the GWU the difficult way. Not only was she a 20 year-old graduate, but she went directly for a full-time post – something most people reach after having been involved in various committees at different levels of the trade union.

Despite the hardships, there is no doubt in the fact that she’s proven herself as one of the hard-working people within the union, with a genuine belief in workers and their rights.

Getting started for a typical day, packed with meetings and tons of work, Ms Gatt answers an important call on her mobile phone. One can immediately tell that by the way she handles the conversation, the person on the other end is given a sense of hope. She immediately radiates heaps of energy, but most of all charisma and humility.

She admits that one’s character plays an important role in this type of job. A perfectionist by nature, she makes sure she gets her facts right and works in a very fair manner. “Of course my job is to stand up for workers, but nobody has a right to abuse of the system,” Ms Gatt insists.

People often tell her that she is too pernickety and wants to go into every single detail. However, she affirms, “I do not intend interfering in issues within a company that have nothing to do with workers’ rights”. She explains that when drafting a plan for a collective agreement with companies, her priority is to cover as many areas as possible to improve the quality of life of workers.

Although she hardly had any “real” work experience before joining GWU, except for a few part-time jobs in between studies, she says that she made the most of these work experiences to learn a few tricks of the trade. An experience which helped her develop her character was a three-month study programme in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. “I was alone and I couldn’t be scared anymore. I had to stand up for myself and that is when I overcame my fears,” she said.

The work she carried out within student organisations, on the other hand, gave her the opportunity to start making her voice heard. She also finds that many of the initiatives she takes within the GWU, like the organisation of social activities, is a result of her experience within student organisations. She explains that she truly tries to implement the policy of the union that is to see to all the needs of the worker in a holistic manner. “I try to work on the economic, social and cultural aspects to reward workers who have put their trust in us as a union,” she said.

An initiative she came up with recently was an activity to mark the 35th anniversary of the founding of the chemicals, energy and printing section and a magazine was printed for the occasion. She was also preparing tickets for the organisation of a barbecue, “so my work is not just about collective agreements,” she tells me.

Ms Gatt is the second female section secretary within the GWU and the section she represents is responsible for a large number of companies all over the island. She claims that although the GWU, like other major unions in Europe, tends to slant towards the left and is generally associated with the socialist view, she believes that as long as one is representing the rights of the worker, partisan politics should not form part of the scenario.

Ms Gatt felt the need to further her studies and when she joined the GWU as junior secretary, it was a natural step for her to read for a Masters degree in industrial relations and human resources management. She obtained the degree from the University of Keele in the UK. Her extensive education helps her to relate well to managerial roles, while her unpretentious character allows her to understand workers and their needs.

The young trade unionist believes that the individualist society we live in nowadays calls for the need for trade unions more than ever before. She feels responsible to try and make people understand that their jobs should not be taken for granted. She explains that she is probably able to relate to this fact even more because working for a trade union means that you must swallow your pride, since your job depends on members’ confidence and every new term there is the risk of having to step down.

There are moments of sadness in this kind of work, Ms Gatt explains, since sometimes a large number of jobs are lost and there is nothing one can do about it. The recent dispute between Central Cigarettes Company Limited and British American Tobacco resulted in the fact that the foreign company simply wanted more profits, but this means that 70 job places will be lost, which is a large number for Malta’s proportions, Ms Gatt said.

This is a result of the phenomenon of globalisation, but it is very difficult to encourage people to go and work abroad, especially since this is still a relatively new phenomenon for our country, Rebecca tells me. Moreover, we have to admit that Malta is quite cut off from the rest of Europe, so it is definitely not an easy decision to leave the country to work and live elsewhere.

Ms Gatt explains that she would like to work on the communication process and on a certain sense of harmonisation within companies, since there is a strong mentality of people abusing of each other. “My aim is also to try to educate people to take responsibilities. While workers must know what their rights and duties are, employers must not abuse of their workers,” she insists.

It is hard to change certain characteristics of an individualist society, especially since we lead a very fast-moving life. Ms Gatt tells me that she is determined to work hard and although she sometimes thinks that she is being too idealistic, she wants to work for the benefit of the society as a whole and the workers who form part of it.