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WE SWEAR TO FREE MALTA FROM THE SLAVERY, COLONIALISM AND DICTATORIAL ILLEGAL EUROPEAN UNION RULE

TELL YOUR PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTY THAT YOU WANT MALTA TO REGAIN INDEPENDENCE AND FREEDOM

The European Union ordered that in 2011 the Maltese and Gozitan people pay it €68,000,000

€186,000 daily stolen from your childrens mouths

Part of an article by Mr Tony Zarb, Generali Secretary of the General Workers Union

The European Metalworkers Federation (EMF) in a letter that it sent to the Prime Minister encouraged him so that the Government does not decide by itself on the privatization of the Shipyard and to hold continuous consultation with the GWU about the whole plan process on the restructuring of the Shipyard.

This is to assure that there will not be a negative social impact on the enterprise workers.

The EMF, which has 5.5 million workers from the metal sector is following with interest the developments in the Shipyard privatization issue and stated its support for the GWU in its work tat it is conducting to assure the viability of the Shipyard.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, the General Secretary of the EMF, Peter Scherrer, while stating that the EMS is solidarity with the GWU in this issue reminded about promise that the Government had made prior to the election that there was not going to be any reduction of workers from the Shipyard and therefore encouraged the Government to assure that no reductions of workers were made without finding acceptable alternatives.

While it reaffirmed the preoccupation of the GWU for the drastic reduction of workers that the government announced will be made in the Shipyard, the EMF appealed to the Government to respect the European Union laws on the privatization of public enterprises.

The EMF also appealed to the Government to observe the European Union Directive on the right of consultation and therefore insisted on the need of the government to negotiate with the GWU to find a responsible social solution in the best interests of the Shipyard workers.

Lm41.8 million from the subsidies were not given to the Shipyard

The Malta Shipyards Company that operates the Shipyard since it was set up in 2003, never sent its accounts according to law to the officers of the Financial Services.

Therefore there are no means on how to examine the financial results of the Shipyard.

The Campaign for National Independence CNI said that on the pretext that the Accounts would publicize confidential information, the Government never submitted them to the scrutiny of the public and the Shipyard workers.

CNI complained that many times amounts were given that did not tally with what the Shipyard had lost and of how much aid was given by the Government during the seven-year Restructuring Plan agreed with the European Union which started in 2002.

Neither was said what amounts were not given to the Shipyard from the amounts of money that according to the Plan had to be given.

This lack of information served so that the public could not form a clear picture of the true financial situation of the Shipyard and the public would have to rest on the propaganda speeches that from time to time were made by the Government or the executive management of the Shipyard.

CNI noted that while the Prime Minister does not want the whole truth to be known by means of an independent public inquiry on the Shipyard, put on the Parliament Table some documents that uncover important things about the Shipyard.

One of the documents gives information on what aid had to be given according to the Plan agreed with the European Union, but were not given, without the Government giving the reasons why it did not give them.

* The Restructuring Plan provides for the granting of Lm32 million in “Social Cost Subsidy”.

* The document exhibited by the Government shows that Lm12 million are not going to be paid by the end pf the year when the Plan is terminated.

* The plan provided for the granting of Lm9.9 million in “Capital Investment Subsidy”.

* The document exhibited by the Government shows that by the end of this year Lm1.9 million will not have been granted and that that amount is planned to be spent in the next two years, in 2009 and 2010 (when the Shipyard would have been sold by the Government to foreigners).

* The Plan approved by the European Union provided for Lm4.5 million to be granted in “Training Grants”.

* According to the document exhibited by the Government, LM3.6 million are not going to be spent by the end of the Plan, by the end of this year.

* The Plan provided by the European Union provided for the grant of Lm21 million for “Financial Costs”.

* According to the document exhibited by the Government Lm20.8 million of which are not going to be granted to the Shipyard by the end of the Plan.

* Totally, from a total of aid approved by the European Union in the Restructuring Plan, which amounts to Lm119 million, Lm41.5 million will not been given to the Shipyard by the end of the Plan.

CNI notes that the Government frequently mentions the amount of subsidies granted to the Shipyard according to the Restructuring Plan, but never deducts the amount of Lm41.8 million that are not going to be given by the end of the seven-year Plan.

The government sometimes also mentions that it will have to ask the European Union to give it permission to make good for around 100 million Ewros (not Lm) losses that it says the Shipyard has accumulated in seven years.

The Government did not say that it will have saved around €100 million (or 41.8 million) from the amount of aid that it had to give to the Shipyard according to the Plan agreed with the European Union and with that amount would have neutralized the losses which it is saying the Shipyard had accumulated.

CNI believes that it is fitting to hold an independent public inquiry on what really happened in the Shipyard during the seven-year Restructuring Plan and therefore the CNI unites in the call of the Shipyard workers and the General Workers Union for an inquiry so that all the truth will be known about the Shipyard and its management.

The Government and the European Union should not hide from the public the Shipyard “Accounts” as from 2003, because any aid granted to the Shipyard was paid by the people and not one single Ewro was paid by the European Union, although it dictates to us what aid should be granted to the Shipyard.

If yes, help CNI in its work so that the majority of the people would want to get rid of European Union rule.