The General Workers Union announced agreement with VF Corporation on worker compensation yesterday, barely 24 hours after the company broke the news of the planned closure of its Malta plant in August, with the loss of 570 jobs.

The union said it had had meetings with the management yesterday morning and agreement had been reached on the compensation to be given to the workers, the best under the circumstances, GWU section secretary Roberto Cristiano said.

The management, the union said, had shown a disposition to negotiate.

On Monday the union will be calling a meeting for all the workers who will have the details explained to them.

The GWU said the government should react to the situation by giving aid, especially to the manufacturing industry, to enable it to remain operating here, and prevent the loss of more jobs.

It was not the workers’ fault that the country was losing its competitiveness but it was the workers who were facing the consequences of decisions which made the country expensive for investors, the union said.