Confrontation is outdated, says GWU deputy

The notion that the General Workers' Union should shed its old clothing and change the way it goes about doing things has been mooted publicly for the second time in as many weeks, this time by the union's deputy general secretary Emmanuel Micallef.

In an article, entitled Vizjoni (vision), which was published in it-Torca on Sunday, Mr Micallef spoke about the changes taking place on the labour market and the way laws and relations between employers and employees had changed.

"What applied to yesterday does not necessarily apply today. Even the way negotiations take place and when and where actions are taken have changed," Mr Micallef wrote.

In an evident diplomatic response to the union's general secretary Tony Zarb's continuous threats of industrial action, Mr Micallef wrote: "It would be wrong to compare the positions the GWU has taken in the past with those it can take today or tomorrow.

"One cannot forget past experiences. There were times when the worker had to shout and stamp his feet if he sensed an attack was looming. There was nothing wrong with that in those times but one cannot live under the illusion that one can do the same now to obtain one's rights."

Mr Micallef's words contrast sharply to comments by Mr Zarb on Super One radio recently, when he declared he was "prepared to chain himself to Castille (the Prime Minister's office)."

"The idea that trade unions have to be confrontational is outdated. This does not mean that there cannot be confrontations, but these have to take place only at the opportune time and if it is justified and there are valid reasons for them. Brain cells have to work harder than muscles. The GWU has big challenges ahead in this respect," Mr Micallef said.

Mr Micallef also spoke about the financial threat the union was facing and that "unions are experiencing a decline in membership."

"The GWU should find ways to increase its membership and try to extend its services to sectors that it never looked at. The union also has a challenge of credibility," Mr Micallef said.

He argued that while it still enjoyed "a certain esteem", in the media the GWU was more often referred to in a negative way than in a positive one.

The union needs to get public opinion on its side rather than embark on damage control operations, Mr Micallef wrote.

"Changes in management, in the way negotiations are held and workers' attitudes demand that the GWU adjourns itself and refines the way in which it works. The GWU needs to be pro-active, motivate discussion and disseminate new ideas, rather than simply react all the time", Mr Micallef wrote.

Similar messages about how and why the union should adjourn itself were given only two weeks ago by the union's media and services section secretary Karmenu Vella.

Mr Vella had made a speech that contrasted sharply with a politically loaded and confrontational one made by Mr Zarb. He spoke about the need "for everyone to come out of his shell and to make an effort to face the inevitable process of change".

Mr Vella had said the country had chosen the "luxury of indulging in conflicts" and political parties, employers and trade unions confronted each other "to protect their own patch" rather than seek new solutions.

He argued that new solutions had to be found for employers to expand and generate new employment opportunities and to ensure the public keep receiving adequate services .

"We cannot keep smelling a rat in everything and everyone and need to work together and cooperate rather than being in confrontational moods all the time," Mr Vella said.

In stark contrast, Mr Zarb has said the union is ready to confront the government. Shifting blame onto the government, he argued that the union preferred dialogue to confrontation but as always it was the government that was making the union go on the warpath.