Development plans for Grand Harbour, announced by the government some weeks ago, would negatively impact the Malta Shipyards, Bezzina Shipyards and other work places, the General Workers Union said yesterday.

The government was making it difficult for Malta Shipyards to achieve the targets set by the EU, the union said through its metal and construction section.

The government proposals, which were not discussed with the GWU, would deprive Malta Shipyards of Boilerwharf, which would be replaced by a cruise liner terminal. The Ricasoli tank cleaning farm would be moved and the government plans intended to downsize the Marsa shipyard.

If the government’s plans are carried out Malta Shipyards would be impacted very negatively, the GWU said.

Ship-repair work, the government was saying, should be carried out in docks 4, 5 and 6, which in itself was very restrictive. But more than that, the work on ships would not be efficient if each dock did not have wharf facilities corresponding to the draught and cranage which complemented the work when a vessel was done with using the dock.

Boilerwharf did exactly this and complemented docks 4, 5 and 6. Without this wharf the docks would be disabled. And if Boilerwharf were to be converted to passenger needs blasting and paint work in other sections of the shipyard would be affected.

As an example of how important Boilerwharf was, the GWU said, it was worth mentioning that work had just been completed on a vessel which for most of the time was berthed at Boilerwharf. The work carried out on it was valued at EUR4.2 million. And it was not the only vessel using Boilerwharf.

The GWU said the Malta Shipyards had already given up Dock 1 with all its space and stores and to date, years after it was given up, the dock was still not being used and the building and remaining machinery were deteriorating.

The GWU added it suspected the yard and the government wanted to give up tanker repair work, which would be financially detrimental to the shipyard. The yard was already not cultivating this work sector, though Malta was on the main route for oil exports from the Middle East to Europe and the US.

It was the same for the Marsa dock. It had been agreed that the shipyard needed to continue with major projects in conversions, and the Marsa facilities were designed specifically for this. Depriving the yard of the wharves would be detrimental to these operations when they reached the outfitting stage outside the dock.

The end result would be very poor work, thus efficiency and the financial results would worsen. It would amount to the government making it more difficult for the shipyard to achieve the aims set by the European Union.

As for Bezzina Shipyard the government’s plans ignored this facility completely and no alternative was mentioned as to where this yard could operate. The company’s investment was being ditched, and the workers’ jobs would be lost.

Considering all these factors, the GWU said, it necessarily had to oppose the government’s Grand Harbour proposals which threatened the livelihood of the workers and weakened the Malta Shipyards. The Metal and Construction Section would work under the direction of the GWU’s central administration to prevent the threat to the jobs of the workers employed in businesses operating around Grand Harbour.