In an interview published in this newspaper yesterday, the new Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin Secretary General Josef Vella and President Jesmond Bonello said that they will not be conditioned by their predecessors, but at the same time they will build on the good work they had already done.

This is a wise way to go about things. The two Gejtus, Vella and Tanti, were man mountains in the trade union world. Their views were always respected, they were gents and, more importantly, they always stuck up for their members, while at the same time, not losing sight of the bigger picture.

One has to admit, seeing the two Gejtus leave the UĦM was a bit of a shock to the system for everyone. They had been at the helm for years, yet they never let power get to them and they never stagnated, they just kept on going and going.

But now, it is the turn of Josef and Jesmond. In every area of life, people move on and others take their place. But the key to it all, as mentioned by Messrs Vella and Bonello, is to be themselves, while implementing the values and lessons they had learned from the two Gejtus.

They have already set out on their grand plan to implement the UĦM’s social vision – something which had been drafted over the last 15 months. Of course, as with every position of leadership, the two men will learn as they go along, and just when they will have felt that they have settled in their role, some crisis will crop up which will indeed test their mettle. We are sure that they will cope and pass the test with flying colours. Both men have had ample experience within the UĦM’s hierarchy, but not when it comes to the real test – leadership. They need to discover whether they have the ability to rally people to a common cause, to resist pressure from the outside, but at the same time keep in sight the bigger picture. This is all well and good when things are going swimmingly, but when nationwide disputes flare up, we will see what the new kids on the block can deliver.

They are both moderates and their thinking is intelligent, but at the same time guided by principles of social justice and inclusion. The world is not yet out of this terrible situation that we find ourselves in. While Malta has coped quite well, there will still be problems. Things move in cycles and while things are quiet now, we might see another backlash later on, perhaps when the markets figure out just what their stand actually is, following the great ‘Firewall’ EU summit last Wednesday. The two union officials also said they intend to continue the union’s emphasis on education and awareness campaigns when it comes to safety at work and the issue of stress. We can see that they meant what they said, in having followed up a story and photographs which were published by this newspaper last week, where workers were dangling precariously on Ġużè Ellul Mercer Bridge, without wearing safety harnesses. We wish them well. We are sure they will find their feet and we are sure they will cope, once the stakes are raised.