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Was, is and shall remain in favour of Maltese workers
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By the Campaign for National Independence CNI
TELL YOUR PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTY THAT YOU WANT MALTA TO REGAIN INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM
In the seven years 2007 – 2014 the Maltese and Gozitans are going to pay the European Union €420,000,000
By
Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici
The way the
Government treated the Sea Malta seafarers (Sea Borne Officers u Ratings) is
abusive, unjust and totally wrong.
The Government
told them that they either they accept that Grimaldi and Sullivan breach their
collective agreements and give them worse conditions than seafarers have or the
Government will dissolve Sea Malta and the seafarers will have to spend years in
Courts to take their terminal benefits which they have a right to according to
their employment contracts.
The correct and just behaviour from the Government should have been different.
He should have told the Sea Malta seafarers that once Grimaldi and Sullivan insisted that they cannot observe the conditions of their collective agreements, the seafarers had a choice:
either accept
the new conditions by Grimaldi and Sullivan or choose to take the terminal
benefits that they are entitled to according to law.
In this manner, those seamen who would have considered that in the circumstances
of their age and their family life, could not accept to continue sailing under
those conditions changed by Grimaldi and Sullivan they had to accept to
terminate their employment.
It is an
ascertained fact that a number of Sea Malta seamen would have made this choice
and thus the Grimaldi and Sullivan Sea Malta would have freed themselves from
keeping them in employment as it had to free itself from keeping the other shore
based workers in employment.
At the same time the number of seamen (officers as well as ratings) who would
have been ready to accept the worse conditions offered by Grimaldi and Sullivan
would have chosen to continue in their employment under these new conditions
which changes their collective agreement.
This should have been the choice that the Government should have given to the Sea Malta seamen.
This is the
just, correct and civilized method of how the Government should have treated the
seamen.
The Sea Malta workers who were not seamen (shore based) the Government gave them
a choice.
If the
Government did not have the need to dissolve Sea Malta, they would have the
choice of going to work in the public sector and not to become employees of
Grimaldi and Sullivan.
All this shows how with the abusive method that the Government used it created a
great issue when there was absolutely the need for it.
It also shows how mistaken and confounded was the Government reasoning.
The Government agreed with Grimaldi and Sullivan that if they do not take Sea Malta in their hands, they would just the same take in their hands its trade by means of a new company that they will set up.
According to a law made three years ago, the new Grimaldi and Sullivan company that takes the Sea Malta trade, would have to keep in employment all those who are not Sea Malta seamen, with the same conditions that they have with Sea Malta.
The General Workers Union did well to reveal this fact in a public broadcast last Tuesday evening.
It
is amazing that well-known opinionists who took part in the discussion last
Tuesday were either surprised with this information or did not have the means to
combat it.
When the
Government decided to dissolve Sea Malta and that its trade be taken by a new
company just set up instead of it, it should have known that the new company had
to keep in employment those Sea Malta employees that the Government had agreed
that they will not be kept in employment with Sea Malta under Grimaldi and
Sullivan.
Apart from the fact that the behaviour of the Government is unjust and
confounded, it is also the most condemnable.
Because it is a bad example how an entrepreneur can abuse from his workers.
When the entrepreneur wants to reduce the wages and working conditions of his workers if he follows on the bas steps of the Government, say that he is going to dissolve the company and discharges the workers.
At the same
time he sets up another company and take the work and trade of the company that
he would have dissolved.
In the case of the agreement that the Government has made with Grimaldi and
Sullivan to set up a new company, there is neither an advantage of investment in
the country.
Because the capital that they said is going to be invested is going to be used to buy new ships and these will be their property and not the property of the country.
From every
aspect, the Government behaviour is condemnable and does not give credit,
neither to the Government nor to the opinionists and the newspapers that
supported the Government abuse.
This is another bitter fruit of Malta’s membership in the European Union.
Saturday 10 December 2005.
WE WANT INDEPENDENCE FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION
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