GO employees left in the dark about imminent redundancies
Julia Farrugia
Telecommunications corporation GO has maintained a wall of silence over its plans to reduce its workforce by more than 100, prompting the General Workers’ Union to insist that the workers deserve to be given the true picture about the future of their employment.
Sister paper Illum revealed on Sunday that an editorial meeting scheduled for Thursday by GO with news editors was cancelled at the eleventh hour. The meeting was supposed to be chaired by David Kay, GO’s Chief Executive Officer, the same person who way back in May had warned that there would be redundancies, if not enough workers applied for the Voluntary Redundant Scheme.
On Saturday GO was specifically asked by the paper why the company postponed this meeting for a later date after the budget. The company was also asked to confirm whether it was true that the Government had intervened on the matter.
GO never denied the story but simply stated, “At this stage GO has no comments to make.”
Even Sonny Portelli, GO Chairman, took up the same position, stating that he “does not comment on management decisions.”
Following the publication of the story last Sunday, an urgent meeting of the GO’s Workers Committee took place, and it was agreed that the GWU officially asks the company to give clear explanations about its downsizing plans.
Contacted by MaltaToday, Andrew Mizzi, GWU Secretary said: “As yet, the company did not answer our claim. We won’t accept any form of layoffs or redundancies, especially in the light of what was said on the 28 of September this year.”
“During a meeting with workers the CEO was specifically asked by an employee about the current situation of the company. David Kay’s answer was clear: ‘things are improving. We are reaching targets, despite the fierce competition.”
Andrew Mizzi insists that the company is obliged “to declare its intentions to clear up uncertainties among workers and their families.”
GO has to date refused to answer Mediatoday questions about the true figures of how many workers applied and were granted the Voluntary Retirement Scheme.
The GWU interprets this as a “true case where the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
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