GWU denies "imposition" in article's censorship

The General Workers' Union said yesterday that its president, Salvu Sammut, had deleted references to Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici in a recent article in l-orizzont after discussion with GWU general secretary Tony Zarb, and not because this was imposed on him.

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that Mr Zarb had censored an article by Mr Sammut in l-orizzont in which he had criticised Dr Mifsud Bonnici's role in the Front Maltin Inqumu alongside Dom Mintoff. Dr Mifsud Bonnici is the union's legal adviser.

The union said yesterday that The Sunday Times report was an attempt to give the impression that there was disagreement between its president and the general secretary, but this was far from the truth.

But by denying only that there was imposition in the censoring, the union was indirectly confirming Salvu Sammut's criticism of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, as reported in The Sunday Times, for joining Mr Mintoff in his front. The union president had written that Dr Mifsud Bonnici's move to the front had created confusion. Mr Sammut also wrote that Dr Mifsud Bonnici's politics "was not his strongest point". These two passages were among those deleted from the original article.

The union said in its statement that the established procedure agreed by all the officials of the union was that all contributions to the newspaper had to be discussed between the writer and Mr Zarb, who had the responsibility of safeguarding union policy. In this particular case, it was Mr Sammut, after discussion with Mr Zarb, who had agreed "without imposition" to delete references to Dr Mifsud Bonnici.

In a long statement in which it also referred to an article in the Nationalist party daily In-Nazzjon, the union said it was currently going through a period of restructuring aimed at keeping it abreast of the times and preparing it for the challenges of the future. The changes had been planned professionally and in agreement with all sections of the union, including the central administration, the section secretaries and, in the case of the most important decisions, the national council.

The reorganisation involved the union sections and the union's companies including Union Press, Union Print, Untours Travel and Insurance and Ritescan. The composition of the boards of those companies was being revised for the inclusion of professionals and experts in the various fields. This was being accompanied by management changes and employee training.

The union said it was an invention to say that Union Press employees were not satisfied with the changes. The composition of the board of directors and the introduction of a management consultant was discussed by the national council, the board of directors and the workers' representatives within the board and the workers would be involved in the implementation of new systems.

Referring to the newspaper reports on the election candidature of Tony Coleiro (secretary of the union's shipyards' section), the union said it was very clear on this point too and there was no disagreement about it. The decision of the national council was that if Mr Coleiro or any other union official was declared to be a candidate of a political party, he could not continue to hold his union post.

This decision was being respected by everybody, including Mr Coleiro. Anybody who thought the position was otherwise was living a fantasy, the union said.