Shipyards talks take up another marathon session

Talks between the government, the shipyards' management and the General Workers' Union continued yesterday in another marathon session that started in the early afternoon and went on late into the night.

Sources said the talks, which are over shipyard reforms and the workers' collective agreement, focused mainly on the issue of wages, but agreement has yet to be reached.

The negotiations involved Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, Finance Minister John Dalli, Investments Minister Austin Gatt, MIMCOL officials, shipyards chairman John Cassar White, human resources manager Tony Restall and other 'yard officials, the GWU's general secretary Tony Zarb, his deputy Manwel Micallef, section secretaries Karmenu Vella and Alfred Cassar, and the presidents of their respective sections.

The talks had been deadlocked for almost a week after the GWU insisted on a pay rise for all 'yard employees and the government replied with an emphatic 'no'.

Negotiations resumed on Saturday, and during a 10-hour meeting agreement was reached on a number of points ranging from the introduction of a shift system to moving the union's office from the docks' entrance to the administration building.

The shipyards plan to shed 900 workers, who will be engaged by another company and offered early retirement schemes.

The union is insisting that because of new work practices and grading, employees who remain on the books should be given a pay rise and the government could argue that this was part of the restructuring exercise.

In line with an agreed policy of not divulging what was discussed at the meeting, neither the government nor the union made any comments last night.