Government ‘guarantees’ job security at Gozo hospital

The government has guaranteed security of jobs for workers at the Gozo General Hospital, the General Workers Union said.

The union held a meeting with Health Minister Konrad Mizzi, parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne and a Vitalis Global Healthcare rep on Saturday to discuss the planned projects for the Gozo General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital.

“The government will honour the agreement reached on workers at the Gozo hospital and it has also guaranteed further training for the same workers and increase in jobs,” the GWU said.

Present for the meeting were secretary general Josef Bugeja, and section secretaries Jeremy James Camilleri and Kendrick Bondin.

Questions over the future of the workers at the Gozo General Hospital were recently raised by the Nationalist Party, which said that 800 employees were facing uncertainty after being told that staff would be significantly cut down and that a number of workers would be transferred.

The GWU however said the ministers gave their assurances that the workers would not lose their jobs. The same workers would receive training to improve services given to the patients.

“This means that the private investment will give workers the opportunity to improve their work and abilities for the benefit of the Maltese society,” the union said.

The GWU hit out at the PN for its “misinformation”, reiterating that it now had the government’s guarantee that no one would lose his or her job.

In reply to the statement issued by the GWU, former secretary general Tony Zarb praised the union for its work, noting how “grand” the union was.