GWU makes a stand over PBS

The deputy secretary general of the General Workers' Union said yesterday the union would not accept any "guillotine measures" in the restructuring process at Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, the state broadcasting station.

Speaking after a meeting with PBS employees, Manwel Micallef said GWU members, who represent 140 of the 180 staff complement at PBS, had been advised to be on "standby" next week for any directive the union might issue.

Mr Micallef made it clear that the union was not against the restructuring of PBS. But so far the union had not been informed of any concrete decision, in spite of reports by consultants and by Mimcol on the situation at the station.

"We will not accept any imposition by the government. The GWU has waited long enough for the government to come up with concrete proposals in order for us to be able to put over our counter proposals," Mr Micallef said.

When asked whether the union had carried out any studies to find out how many workers were needed to man PBS in a lean operation, Mr Micallef said the union had not been supplied with information about the station on the pretext that such information was of a commercial nature.

Earlier, Karmenu Vella, GWU secretary of the section dealing with services and the media, gave an overview of what had happened during the past seven years regarding the PBS issue.

The collective agreement expired three years ago.

"The closing down of PBS is neither on the agenda of the GWU nor on the agenda of the Maltese people," Mr Vella added.