The General Workers’ Union yesterday threatened industrial action at Maltapost to protect its members’ interests, especially their health, after differences arose with the management about work practices for postmen in the south.

It was allowable to share beats, the union said, but this should be allowed only when there were postmen on sick leave. The union said it had never made any objections in such cases.

But, it added, it had ordered action at Maltapost because an intolerable situation had arisen relating to the employees’ health and safety.

There was a shortage of postmen and apart from that, two postwomen could not make deliveries, for maternity reasons. The rest of the postmen were having to work longer in the summer heat.

The union said postmen were having to do four beats and carry 60 kilograms of postal material, when the maximum allowed was supposed to be 10 kilograms. This was as a result of an agreement with another union, the GWU said.

The union said it could not allow workers to fall sick because of their work conditions.