GWU concerned restructuring report not enough to save Air Malta
May 17, 2011
General Workers Union Secretary General Tony Zarb speaks to Chiara Bonello of their fear that the Air Malta restructuring report will not be enough to save the airline, that its concerns were not heard, an ‘insensitive’ government and unity between the unions. Air Malta is a ‘delicate’ and ‘difficult’ situation, and the General Workers Union is not convinced that even what was presented in the Steering Committee will be enough to save the national airline, according to GWU Secretary General Tony Zarb. Mr Zarb, who said the GWU is worried about the national airline’s future, added that although the union has had a direct role in the Steering Committee it does not feel many of its concerns were heard. He said he hopes that during the one-on-one meetings, which will be held between unions and the company, these issues will be ironed out and the tension of the workers can be eased. Reports that jobs must be reduced by around 600 are causing tension among workers, he said, and GWU has already said that the government must ensure jobs are found for these people. Commenting on the government having said it wanted to overlook the ‘last in, first out’ clause, Mr Zarb said he thinks the government has done its homework and come to the same conclusion as GWU, that this is not possible. “No we are not satisfied with the report put together by the Ernst & Young consultants and we will not be giving it our green light,” he said, adding that they would be waiting until the European Commission decision, to decide on action. The report mentions that if the government will continue to assist the low-cost carriers in the coming months, then the report which is being prepared would be worthless, he said. This was said by Ernst and Young, not GWU, he said, “but what we believe is that a solution to keep Air Malta afloat must be found. I think we need to find a solution to blend the two”. There are things, such as industry exports and carrying persons abroad, which no low-cost carrier will do, he said, and it is only Air Malta which will do these things. No low-cost carrier will allow a stretcher to take up some nine seats, he said, adding that the matter must also be looked at from a social aspect. Low cost airlines are given €24 per passenger, each way, but Air Malta receives nothing, even though it has to pay the same hefty airport charges. When asked about the date by which the Commission should have issued its response to the restructuring plan, Mr Zarb says there have been much delays, but admits it is now just a matter of time. When asked to describe the GWU’s relationship with the government, Mr Zarb said he would divide this into two factions; the individual ministers, with some of whom the GWU has a good working relationship and the government, where unfortunately the same can’t be said. When a government is taking such measures, which negatively impact everyone from pensioners to workers, we can’t say that the relations are good, he said. Mr Zarb said that GWU has decided to organise a campaign against a government which is ‘insensitive and heartless’, the first phase of which will be organised through the media. “The second and third phases will depend on how we fare in the first phase, but we are excluding nothing in this campaign,” he said. “We are saying this because the government can see the people suffering, but not only has it not offered any help, but it has taken decisions to help itself and increased pay and allowances of the Prime Minister and the Ministers,” he said. Now we find that not only has the government given itself the increases, but that for around three years they have received around €3,000 in duty allowance, which is something new. He questioned whether everyone should start requesting a duty allowance now. “We will keep up our campaign until there is a government which is sensitive to the people’s pains,” he said. Commenting on the MCESD meeting on the increase in fuel prices, he said that this month the report on the vulnerable sectors of society, and how they can be impacted by the fuel prices was due, although nothing has been said yet. The inevitable question is precisely who the vulnerable sectors are, Mr Zarb said, since the measures have impacted what was known as the middle-class, making their situation all the more difficult. The middle-class has traditionally been the one to bear the brunt of these measures in Malta, he said. There is no date for an MCESD meeting, when the report is supposed to be presented, but we’re definitely not going to be happy with its outcome, as the vulnerable persons are not just those at risk of poverty. Moreover there is still no guarantee of compensation, even once the vulnerable sectors are identified, he said. Turning to the unity proposals put forward by the Confederation of Maltese Trade Unions earlier this year, Mr Zarb said that in the greater part GWU agrees with the proposals; however there are others which need further discussion. Since Forum joined the ETUC it has been decided that there will be meetings between the three unions; that is GWU, Forum and CMTU, to discuss the package of regulations on how the unions can work better together. These talks, under the guidance of Dr Edward Zammit, professor of industrial sociology and industrial relations, should be starting in the coming days. “GWU is going in for these meetings with the aim of finding solutions and common ground between us, as we believe that this unity will benefit the workers,” Mr Zarb explained. Commenting on Forum’s long-time efforts to join MCESD, he said that the Maltese government now has the example on a European level and should change its decision by putting Forum in MCESD. Another benefit of Forum being part of MCESD is that it will fill a void; that is the imbalance in representatives of employers and employees. There are five bodies representing employers, but only four representing employees, he said. “So far there have been those who have opposed, but I think that with ETUC membership they might find less opposition,” he said. Employees benefit greatly from harmony between the unions, as the unions speak with one voice on a number of important issues, such as health and safety, making for a stronger message. At this point some will automatically raise the question of a Trade Unions Council, he said, which admittedly must happen some time in the future, “however I urge caution”. Mr Zarb emphasised the importance of proceeding carefully and taking things step by step, as if we hurry too much then we risk making a mess of things. Commenting on whether the youth of today are still interested in joining trade unions, Mr Zarb said the statistics speak for themselves. He goes on to show how in the past months the GWU has seen a drastic increase in its members, as 867 new members from MCAST joined last week, and a further 244 university students joined last October. There has been a phenomenon over the past months, and GWU has seen over 2,000 new members in the past six months. “Groups that we never imagined have recently become members of GWU, such as football players and confectionery owners, however some remain without the right to join a union, and in these cases we insist this should change.” This indicates that when a union works with caution and vision, then the youths understand and will approach it, he said. When it comes to keeping up with the times, Mr Zarb explains that at the moment the GWU is working to keep renewing itself and adapting to the times. There are ongoing discussions on how things should be in the future. Discussions, which will continue even in the National Conference, will tackle policy updates and ways how GWU should function in the future. Internally these discussions have started, but they will continue in the Council and the Conference. Speaking of the GWU’s initiative to attract members of foreign trade unions to Malta as tourists, Mr Zarb said they were still working at this, but it was doing well. Not only do they come for holidays, but even to attend an ‘English as a Foreign Language’ course at our school, he said, adding that this summer a number of foreign trade unionists will be coming to Malta. The GWU is no longer only there for its members, he said, but is moving ever more towards becoming a union for the family. Its services are branching out, as they offer lessons in music, computer, drama and seven different languages. The Working Time Directive is aimed at ensuring that workers have their rest, but unfortunately in Malta, due to the situation of many workers, one can’t afford to not work overtime to cover the family costs. At the moment GWU are discussing with the ETUC, to see how we can find a solution to cater for both lines of the Directive. Hopefully the situation will be that the Maltese worker won’t have to work extra hours to keep up with the family’s requirements, and will have the opportunity to have free time. Turning to the topic of child-friendly measures, Mr Zarb said that if we really want to encourage more women to join the workforce, then we have to do something to create more places where they can leave the children. “There simply aren’t enough affordable childcare centres at the moment,” he said, adding that GWU had a childcare centre around two years ago. However with the exaggerated regulations and the rigid conditions in place, we could not afford to operate anymore, he said, adding that it was a pity as there had been considerable interest in their centre. Commenting on how GWU has evolved since it was set up in 1943, Mr Zarb said that the principles have remained the same, but the tools that someone makes use of must change and the union must adapt to the times we are in. “A major change is that today the distinction between employers and employees is not made, as we say that we are social partners,” he said. Just 30 or 40 years ago such a thing would have been unheard of, as there was a strong divide between them and us. This is a situation I would describe as very positive, he said, as it is in all our interests to sit down to a discussion where we discuss the interests of both parties. GWU is in line with its founders’ vision, he said, as it remains based on the principle of social justice. “Throughout the years I think various leaders have always remained true to this principle and carried it through, especially with those who need it most,” he said. Turning to EU membership, something the GWU had been diametrically opposed to before the referendum, Mr Zarb states that as with everything else, it has its pros and cons. “Before the referendum we said we felt it was not the appropriate time, however we also said that we would respect the people’s decision. Once it was made we immediately began to see how we could work on a European level,” he explained, adding that as founder members of the ETUC, they had a certain knowledge of EU affairs. A lot of benefits of EU membership came about automatically, but others we worked for, he said, such as EU projects which we participated in. The GWU has good relations and various ongoing projects with the Italian General Confederation of Labour, the largest Italian Trade Union, which has similar principles to those of the GWU. EU directives, such as those for health and safety, and how they were actualised have begun to show results, and although there is room for further improvement, the situation has seen progress. What workers have achieved has always been the result of unity among trade unions, and there will definitely never be a time when things are handed to workers on a silver platter. It is only through trade unions that the workers’ conditions can improve and go forth, therefore they are very relevant. “I think the future of trade unions should be strong, especially if trade unions recognise the importance of working together more,” he said. Profile – Born in Floriana on 28 January 1954 Mr Zarb made his debut in the local trade unionism scene in 1981 when he organised the workers at the then Wrangler jeans manufacturing plant, namely Blue Bell. At the time he was employed as a cutting operator with the same company. He was elected shop steward and delegate representing his workmates’ members of the General Workers’ Union. In 1982 Mr Zarb attended an intensive course in trade unionism in Denmark and the following year he was elected on the Executive Committee of the Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Section of the GWU and member of the Union’s National Council. In 1985 he was appointed junior secretary on a full-time basis by the National Council and subsequently a year later he was elected Secretary to the Port and Transport Workers’ Section, an office he relinquished in 1996 when the extraordinary General Conference of the GWU elected him to the post of Deputy Secretary General, entrusting him with the responsibility of co-ordinating all the Union’s Sections. Mr. Zarb was appointed Secretary General in October 1998 and officially took office on 5 January of the following year. He was confirmed by acclamation in his post of Secretary General during the Union’s National Congress of 2005 and 2009. During his tenure of office as secretary of the Port and Transport Section, Mr Zarb sat on the Executive Committee of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and was also a member of the Seafarers Section, Civil Aviation Section and Dockers’ Section within the ITF. Tony Zarb is the current Maltese Workers’ Delegate in the General Assembly of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a post he has held since 1999. In that same year he was also appointed member of the Executive Committee of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).