Investment, Industry and Information Technology Minister Austin Gatt was quick to blame shipyard workers, when he announced that Malta Shipyards’ deficit had been 50 per cent more than that projected, said Labour spokesperson for women and public service Helena Dalli.

In a statement issued yesterday, Ms Dalli said that instead of speaking to the Malta Shipyards’ management about the loss and the fact that they had failed in their estimates, Dr Gatt blamed the workers for not reaching the required level of productivity, which the management was supposed to be monitoring continuously throughout the year.

Minister Gatt chose not to attend during a recent visit by foreign contractors, who expressed their appreciation for the good work carried out by workers in 2006, said Ms Dalli.

She added that Dr Gatt also seems to have forgotten that many had tried to draw the management’s attention to the fact that their objectives for productivity levels with the current state of affairs at the shipyards, were far from realistic.

Rather than condemning the workers, Minister Gatt should have said what real measures were going to be taken to improve the machinery and technology, so that workers’ productivity levels would increase, said Ms Dalli, adding that the minister should have also said how the productivity levels of workers at the shipyards compared to those of workers abroad.