UHM Voice of the Workers Secretary General Josef Vella has taken exception to The Shift’s recent report on his appointment as a director of the government-owned Malta Air Travel Company Ltd, the parent company of the one-aircraft airline Malta MedAir.
The leader of Malta’s second largest trade union has taken The Shift to court after it refused to publish a ‘right of reply’ he sent in expressing his opinion on the article’s contents and in which he confirmed the appointment.
In an article published last April titled ‘Union leader appointed director of government company sees no conflict of interest’, The Shift revealed how in February 2022, just a few weeks before the last general elections, the UHM chief had been handpicked by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana to represent the government on the board of directors of Malta Air Travel.
Vella has filed a case in court over The Shift’s refusal to print an essay he presented as a ‘right of reply’ in its entirety when his comments had already been reported in the article.
In its reply, The Shift told the court presided over by Magistrate Rachel Montebello that Vella’s request to the court should be turned down on the grounds that Vella’s letter to The Shift following the publication of the article did not fall within the parameters of the country’s media laws and did not qualify as a ‘right of reply’.
The Shift reported how Vella confirmed he was selected as a member of a government company’s board by Minister Caruana and that his appointment was in a personal capacity.
Vella insisted that he had “no serious conflict of interest in his roles” between being the head of Malta’s second-largest trade union tasked with defending workers’ rights and personally working for the government. Vella insisted the report was “misleading” and “false”.
He said, “all trade union officials who are employed with the public service or a public entity can qualify to join a trade union on grounds of public policy.”
In its reply to the court, The Shift pointed out that this was not part of the report as it only focused on his selection “on a personal basis” to represent the government against remuneration on a government board – a fact he confirmed in his reply.
The article also stated that Vella joined another trade union leader in being paid by the government and pointed out how GWU President Victor Carachi has received thousands of euros in retainers for his various roles at government companies and agencies.
Vella insisted that “he neither joined Victor Carachi with the entity nor is he receiving tens of thousands in return”.
The Shift’s report did not state that Vella was earning as much as Carachi, but, rather, the fact that the leaders of both of Malta’s largest trade unions are also government-appointed directors of state-owned companies. Vella said he donated his earnings to the union.
Vella has now taken the issue to court. The Shift has informed the court it stands by the facts presented in the article.
Lawyers Andrew Borg Cardona, Matthew Cutajar and Eve Borg Costanzi from BCGL Advocates are defending The Shift in court pro bono.
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The unions are part of the greedy lot using their members for their own interest.
Jew ma Alla Jew ma xitan !!!
This opportunist of Josef Vella is trying to restore his reputation now, as much as trying hard to salvage his face, by turning to courts, after he was caught with his pants down.
CHEAP TACTICS GALORE, and rest assured dear Mr Vella, that whatever the courts decide, it will not change our minds after all, since what SHIFT NEWS revealed is not mere speculation, but HARD EVIDENCE.
Persons in such position should be BEYOND suspicion. Case closed.
Someone is afraid that you’ve told the truth .. keep up the good work
Just as I suspected, no wonder UHM was silent on discrimination in ths examination for senior principals of 2017!
Good luck SHIFT and thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.
I am very surprised that the Head of a Union is unaware that, as a director of a company, his name is public and easily accessible online through the Malta Business Registry where a statutory Annual Return has to be filed showing among other details the names, address and ID number of every director and company secretary.
I am also surprised how the Head of a leading Workers’ Union is unaware of the ethics and independence that he has to maintain not to prejudice his duties and responsibilities in defending the workers’ rights against abuse by their employers. Being a director paid by the employer of his Union members prejudices his freedom to stand up for the members’ rights and in any industrial legislation proposed by the Government.
I am also very surprised that a Minister ignores by omission or convenient commission to ensure independence of the persons he nominates to represent the interests of his government.
This is a policy adopted by autocratic governments to passport their political agendas.
Hokkli dari u nhokklok tieghek
Hokkli dahri u ………
It’s a Glaring Example of Conflict of Interest.
Unfortunately the UHM is not the same UHM as it used to be under previous management. The UHM is only interested in poaching more members from other unions. It has its own agenda vis-a-vis its dealings with the government on behalf of its members. It is only interested in collecting funds from members without providing proper legal advice in terms of industrial relations matters. To say that a lot of members are highly disappointed with their service is an understatement. People have to resort to external legal advice on employment matters or else just accept the situation without even attempting to challenge UHM’s advice or lack thereof.
To the best of my knowledge, unions, at least on a local level, are not regulated by a body even though they may be members of a confederation. As for TheShift, unfortunately its newsroom may not be interested in individual problems concerning for example dealings of union members with their unions. One does not expect that The Shift (or any other news agency for that matter) publishes each and every case reported to them. However, one does expect that at least the general public should be able to approach them and tell their story.
Keira, we are always ready to listen. Our contact information is public. The problem that we face is that those who tell us their personal story are not prepared to go on record. We can’t publish a person’s account without the individual being on record or providing documents or other evidence to back up what they’re saying. No change can happen unless people stand up for themselves. We can’t do the job for you. We’re doing our job. And when we do publish a report, we defend it to the hilt because we know what we reported is fact. So perhaps, there’s another angle to consider.