The General Workers' Union, historically having ties with the Labour Party, went against the government and spoke in favour of calling a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia.
It also said that it shall be attending Sofia's vigil in the name of all workers who have lost their lives at their place of work.
After the government chose the shut down the motion calling for a public inquiry last Wednesday, during the last plenary session before the summer recess, a vigil was called in Sofia's name which shall take place in front of Castille at 8pm this evening.
In a short article written by talk.mt, the GWU said that it was unacceptable to have workers that went to work and did not return home.
"It also demands that justice should be done without delay not only in this case but also others that are still dragging on after months and even years."
"With regards to a public inquiry, the GWU agrees that this should be carried out, as should be done with every tragic accident in the workplace. This is because all workers are equal in the eyes of the union."
The Union added that it is calling for full transparency and accountability in these incidents, including the most recent case of Mohammed Kasem Hashem Alkhateeb who tragically lost his life on Monday morning after falling one storey on a construction site last Friday in Rabat.
"For the GWU every death at the workplace is a tragedy, not only for the family and relatives, but also for society in general."
It is also worth mentioning that the GWU's newspaper l-orizzont wrote a story on Monday pointing out that certain observers online have speculated that although the Facebook page "Ghal Jean Paul" said that there are no political motives behind this vigil, the style or writing and promotion shows that there might be some form of a link to the Opposition who "rode the political bandwagon in the midst of emotion."
20-year-old Sofia died after a building collapsed on him at Corradino on 3 December. Since that tragic day, the family, the Opposition, multiple NGOs and people have been calling for a public inquiry into Sofia's death which would establish the shortcomings of the state which lead to this death and offer recommendations to improve. However, Prime Minister Robert Abela and the government have consistently shut down this request insisting that a magisterial inquiry is enough to achieve full justice.
The UMH Voice of the Workers has also spoken in favour of calling a public inquiry as this will be able to identify any institutional shortcomings and establish protocols to ensure these tragic accidents do not happen.
It also called for reforms and legislative amendments in the construction sector, one of which would aim to involve the Occupational Health and Safety Association (OHSA) in workplace incident inquiries to speed up the process.
In the case of the construction industry, the UHM said the public inquiry would serve to analyse the current situation and possibly indicate how this industry, which is currently one of the drivers main sectors of the Maltese economy, can be better regulated in the hope of reducing the danger to workers and third parties.
Lastly, the UHM appealed to employers in the construction industry to understand the need to regulate this sector through sectoral agreements where good practices and health and safety are given importance.