Malta Shipyards’ management said there was no intention at the ’yard to revert to past practice where the General Workers’ Union was involved in the management.

Those experiments had not given good results and would not be repeated, said the management.

The management was referring to points made by GWU general secretary Tony Zarb and shipyards section secretary Pawlu Bugeja. It denied it had ever refused viable orders for the building of tugboats, as alleged by Mr Zarb. The yards always considered orders, going into various criteria, such as the ability of a client to pay, and the technical aspects of a project.

As for the request by Joseph Cala to build vessels at the shipyards, Mr Cala was not only not able to show he had the necessary financing, he did not even complete the study he should have conducted to show that the work was viable.

The management said measures taken about work practices at the shipyards were agreed with the GWU but such an agreement would not by itself improve productivity. There had to be an effort by everyone involved in production, and at present the necessary effort was not being put in.

Malta Shipyards insisted that contrary to what section secretary Mr Bugeja was claiming, the production executive was not guilty of any irregularity, much less of abuse. Mr Bugeja should either substantiate his allegations, or stop making them. They were only serving to harm the shipyards and their workers.

As for subcontracting, the management said, Mr Bugeja and his colleagues should update themselves with current practices in the industry.

The management said Mr Bugeja was promising to continue his fight with them. It suggested that the fight should be against those who still would not understand that a bigger effort was needed to improve productivity by conscientiously doing their duty according to their grade and to the hours they were paid for.