GWU head Josef Bugeja plans to step down after more than 10 years

GWU general secretary Josef Bugeja has announced he plans to step down after 10 years in the role but will stay in place until a successor is found.

Speaking during the General Workers’ Union congress on Wednesday, Bugeja said the process to appoint a secretary general designate will begin soon.

“The process will take several months and can be done without any unnecessary pressure,” Bugeja said.

For the GWU, the secretary general is the most important role in the union and has a role similar to that of a company CEO.

The person designated would be the appointed heir of Bugeja, but would still have to be eventually confirmed as general secretary by the GWU’s highest organ – the congress.

Bugeja made the announcement shortly after being reconfirmed as secretary general of one of Malta’s two general trade unions.

“The General Workers’ Union is currently in a stable place, and we are united… therefore, after this congress – with the aim of maintaining stability and continuity, and following discussions with the new administration and secretaries – I believe the time has come for a call to go out for a new secretary general designate,” Bugeja said.

“This is not a beginning or an end but a continuity.”

Speaking to Times of Malta, Bugeja said that he does not plan to leave in the immediate future and wants to ensure there is an orderly handover for whoever takes his place.

The role of GWU secretary general designate has precedent with Bugeja himself.

Bugeja was given the designate role in September 2014 while the late Tony Zarb was still the union’s top dog. He was appointed to the designate role unchallenged.

He officially became union general secretary a year later in October 2015.

On Wednesday, the GWU congress elected a new president – Jason Deguara, who will take the place of Victor Carachi.

Kevin Abela was also made international secretary.

We used to think of a union man as a Maltese white man… that is no longer the case- Josef Bugeja

During his speech closing the congress, Bugeja pointed to the union’s work, saying the large number of collective agreements the union has managed to close has meant more than a billion euros in worker pay increases.

He also said that the union’s makeup has changed.

“We used to think of a union man as a Maltese white man… that is no longer the case,” Bugeja said, adding that the union has members from over 30 nationalities.

Bugeja pointed out that the GWU is also working against the abuse of non-EU workers – particularly food delivery couriers.

Currently, the GWU and the companies that employ couriers are close to signing a collective agreement – a first for the sector.

During the congress, the union’s TCN (Third Country National) official, Manav Kumar, also spoke.

“I am honoured to be the first Indian and the first TCN to speak here as an official delegate, representing many others who do not yet have a voice,” Kumar said.

“The GWU has always protected Maltese workers, and today it is also protecting us. When all workers are treated the same and paid the same, jobs are protected, and respect grows for everyone. We do not ask for special treatment. We ask for equal treatment, equal pay for the same work, and equal respect,” he said.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, who was the congress’s penultimate speaker, said he regarded the GWU as his second home and listed the social progress achieved because of the union and the Labour Party.

Deputy PN leader Alex Perici Calascione said the Nationalist Party and GWU have several points where they agree, including not taxing the yearly cost-of-living increases.