It is not only a trade union’s right but indeed its sacrosanct duty to represent, defend and protect it members from injustices in the workplace.

It is not, however, a trade union’s right or duty to ‘caution’ newspapers against articles involving very serious accusations against its members, to insinuate that the police would arraign someone without proof simply because of media ‘pressure’, and to make some very serious and potentially libellous allegations against citizens in defence of those members, presumably based solely on that member’s version of events.

Nor should a union fly off the handle as the Malta Union for Midwives and Nurses did yesterday in reaction to a story this newsroom carried last Sunday, which dealt with an alleged incident of physical abuse against a severely disabled 10-year-old boy at Mount Carmel Hospital.

In a virulent press release yesterday morning, the MUMN ‘appealed’ to this newspaper to lay off the story and to apply no further pressure on those investigating the case. As if that were not bad enough in its own right, it gets worse. In its tirade against this newspaper, the union also levelled some very serious accusations against the police force saying that due to media pressure, the investigating officer is intent on arraigning the accused – without any proof. 

The union also appealed for the police and other investigatory boards looking into the allegations to be allowed to carry out their work without any undue pressure being exerted on them.

The union’s comments not only ridicule the police force, they belittle it. That the union insinuated that the police would arraign someone, anyone, without any proof in hand because it has simply buckled to media pressure is a deplorable statement in itself, and it also shows an incredible lack of respect for the country’s forces of law and order.

While this newsroom expects no apologies from the union, we do believe that the police force is owed an apology from the union for having publically demonstrated such a gross lack of faith in the integrity, and for accusing it of having so little backbone that it would actually arraign an innocent person without proof in the sole interest of a public relations exercise.

But despite all its bluster, the union has failed to note one critical point as regards the possibility of an arraignment: the police will only take court action with the Attorney General’s seal of approval after reading the investigating officers’ report. 

Come to think of it, the MUMN may just have to issue another press release today cautioning the AG’s office against giving in to media pressure and consenting to the arraignment of innocent people without proof.

The MUMN’s reaction to the issue was wholly disproportionate.  In fact, we must make it clear that the union had been contacted before going to print last Saturday but had said it had no information on the incident, which is strange considering that it was Mount Carmel’s own nursing staff, presumably an MUMN member, who called the Birkirkara police station to report the incident.

Also, the MUMN’s vitriolic attack against the boy’s mother – claiming that she is simply after some kind of financial compensation – is utterly deplorable.  She has replied to those accusations in today’s issue. By making such accusations, is the union not doing exactly what it is accusing this newspaper of doing? 

The only difference is that it is the duty of a newspaper to make such incidents public and to exert adequate pressure so that proper action is taken in both punitive and preventive terms, as opposed to having such inconvenient incidents and allegations swept under the rug.  And by reporting those allegations, that is exactly what we have done.

It is the union’s duty, meanwhile, to defend it members but when those members are faced with accusations that could end up in court, the union would do well to heed its own advice and practise caution, to let those investigations that have been kick-started to run their course and to let the courts of law decide on the matter if it comes to that.

For this newsroom’s part, we stand by the story as published last Sunday unreservedly. And yes, we will continue to expose such incidents without fear or favour and we will continue to exert pressure wherever applicable to ensure that accountability is taken, that justice is served and that the more vulnerable members of our society are given the voice they deserve.